Tributes paid to Jennie Morton, thought to be Sunderland's oldest women, following death aged 109

Jennie was born in Sunderland on May 30, 1913, a year after the sinking of the Titanic, and a year before the start of the First World War, a conflict which claimed the life of her elder brother William.

She passed away on New Year’s Eve (Saturday, December 31). Jennie never married and her closest relative was nephew Ivor, who would regularly travel from Dundee to visit her at home in Fulwell until the age of 102, and later at Highcliffe Care Home, in Witherwack, where she has lived for the last seven years.

Ivor, 75, said: “Jennie is going to leave a massive hole and will be sadly missed by everyone who knew her. She was such a personality, full of life and kindness and had a great sense of humour – although she would always call a spade a spade."

According to the website ‘Oldest in Britain’, Jennie was the oldest person in the North East and the eighteenth most elderly resident in the British Isles.

Ivor said: “When we told her she was the oldest person in the region her response was ‘that’s nice, but people shouldn’t live that long’.”

When asked about the secret behind his aunt’s longevity, Ivor said: “She took a pledge as a teenager never to drink or smoke and has always lived a healthy lifestyle.

"Even in her eighties and nineties she would walk a five-mile round trip everyday into Sunderland to get her shopping.

"I had to laugh when she called me at the age of 96 to say she thought she might be slowing down as she got the bus back.”

Jennie celebrated her centenary in 2015 where she was “proud” to receive her card from the Queen, something which she continued to receive every year from her 105th birthday.

Ivor said: “Although the Queen was younger, she was someone Jennie identified with. She was very patriotic and during WWII she served in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force where she trained in catering, eventually ending up at Birdlip Camp near Cheltenham, where she cooked for the officers.”

This was the only time Jennie lived away from Sunderland, the place she “loved”.

Ivor, who was also born in Sunderland, said: “She loved the North East and the approach people have to life. She particularly enjoyed the local landmarks and her favourite place was Seaburn Beach, where she loved to walk.

"She was Sunderland through and through. She didn’t go to Sunderland games but she supported the team and she would buy and read the Echo everyday, right up until the age of 102 when her sight started to go.”

Jennie looked after her mother Elizabeth until she passed away in 1962, before working in the flower and fruit trade and later at Laings shop in Murton Street, before retiring 49 year ago at the age of 60.

Jennie also leaves behind her niece, Di Evans, 83.

Ivor, who is making arrangements for Jennie’s funeral, said: “Jennie will never be forgotten. It was a life very fully lived.”