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Niece pays tribute to 102-year-old Florrie
The niece of a woman who died at the ripe old age of 102 has paid tribute to her independent aunt this week.
Florence Barber, known as Florrie, was born in 1906 in Stanton Hill but moved to Church Street in Cotmanhay in the 1930s.
She remained fiercely independent right up until 2007 when at the age of 100 she moved into Hazelwood Aged Person's Home around the corner in Skeavington's Lane.
Her niece Christine Wesley-Smith, who lives in Suffolk, said her aunt was famed for her legendary light sponge cakes, which she insisted on mixing by hand.
She said: "Christmas Day tea was a feast of goodies enjoyed each year by all the extended family.
"She was a brilliant aunt to have."
Christine said Florrie was a self-taught seamstress who made dresses for all the family, learned first aid during the Second World War as part of her role as air raid warden, and bred champion chinchillas.
She also looked after her mother for many years in Church Street, following the death of her step-father.
Christine said: "The staff at Hazelwood were brilliant and nothing was ever too much trouble for them."
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Weather for Ilkeston
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
