Centenarian Rosa keeps habit of a lifetime and celebrates a day late (From Worcester News)

Centenarian Rosa keeps habit of a lifetime and celebrates a day late

3:00pm Saturday 2nd March 2013 in News By Sarah Taylor

A centenarian celebrated her 100th birthday a day late, in keeping with a family tradition.

Unwittingly, Rosa Hyde had always celebrated her birthday one day after she was born because she only discovered the date was not her true birthday when she was 75.

Nethertheless, since finding out, she has continued to celebrate it on the 28th. Mrs Hyde was born in Avonside Hospital in Evesham on February 27 in 1913 and marked her century at her town centre home.

Her son Trevor Hyde said: “She doesn’t know why it was celebrated on a different day. She had always assumed the 28th was her birthday. She found out because we had to get her birth certificate.

It will be interesting to see what the telegram says. Mum is looking forward to that.”

The family have another reason to celebrate as Andrew Hyde, one of Mrs Hyde’s three grandchildren, celebrated his 50th birthday on the same day.

Mrs Hyde lived in Lower Moor as a young girl before her family moved to Gosport near Portsmouth where her dad served in the Army during the First World War.

They returned to Evesham a few years on and lived in Cowl Street with Mrs Hyde attending Swan Lane School. She later met her husband, Arthur Hyde, when he moved in opposite. The two were married in All Saints Church, Evesham.

The couple’s son Trevor Hyde said: “It was the vicar’s first night and he said he didn’t know who was more nervous.”

Arthur worked at the town’s gas works and Mrs Hyde at Beeches Jam factory until their first child, Trevor, came along in 1936. His sister, Patricia, was born in 1950.

“She is incredible for her age,” added her son. “You wouldn’t think she was coming up to 100. She still does the crossword everyday, knits for herself and crochets baby clothes.

“We have always put her age down to eating so many vegetables and never smoking.”