Norah Roberts

Her family later moved to Wallington in Surrey, then Worthing in Sussex.

She trained as a nurse at The London Hospital when she was 21 and after marrying her first husband, Will Rowley, in Sussex, moved with him to Wiveliscombe in Somerset.

After his death she did some nursing in Canada, where she met Evan Roberts, who became her second husband in 1968.

The couple lived on the Isle of Man for several years, then moved briefly to Exmouth in Devon before settling in West Moors in the early 1980s.

After being widowed again in 1985. Norah continued to live alone in the village. She enjoyed visits from family, friends and neighbours, always providing afternoon tea and cakes or scones, often home-made. She continued driving well into her nineties.

Norah attributed her long life to a simple, healthy lifestyle. She did not drink, smoke, eat meat or take pills, swearing that apple cider vinegar and honey were the best “medicines”. She would often heal a wound with honey and hardly ever saw a doctor.

Her favourite pastimes were feeding the birds in her garden, knitting for charity, playing Scrabble and doing competitions and jigsaws. She despised cruelty to animals. She supported a number of animal charities and at one time owned a retired guide dog.

She grew and cooked her own vegetables until she was 102, when she started receiving home care. She had a pacemaker fitted at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital at the tender age of 103.

Her next-of-kin, nephew Ian Cameron and his wife Mary, were advised she should no longer live alone and moved her to a care home near them in West Sussex.

She celebrated her 104th birthday there in January and died peacefully in her sleep earlier this month.

Mary said: “Auntie was very obstinate and self-opinionated, but such a lot of fun to be with, especially if you got into a good debate with her about one of her pet subjects. She loved the Queen but hated politicians.”

Norah chose not to have a funeral.