Name Elsie Steele | ||
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Born 6 January 1899 Swadlincote, Derbyshire, England Died October 18, 2010, Repton, United Kingdom | ||
Elsie May Steele (née Fletcher; 6 January 1899 – 18 October 2010) was, at age 111 years, 285 days, the oldest person in the United Kingdom and the oldest person in England following the death of 111-year-old Annie Turnbull on 3 September 2010.
Steele was born at Midway near Swadlincote as one of nine children born to Joseph and Bertha Fletcher. After leaving school at 13, she worked as a housekeeper in Leicester. She married her first husband Reginald Hackett in 1920, and had two children; Trevor Hackett (deceased), and Beryl Fairbrother. Steele later worked in a munitions factory in near Burton-upon-Trent. When she was 69 years old, she married her second husband Wallace Steele.
At age 108 Steele remarked "I plan on staying around for a bit yet. Old age is golden and I intend to make the most of it. I’m in good shape. I love to walk, the staff are always wondering where I’ve got to". When asked her secret to a long life, she credited hard work, avoid beer, and to not swear. She also said that she tries to concentrate on the "happy times".
On her 110th birthday, Steele recited a poem by Pam Ayres about the joys of old age.
She had 3 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren and several great-great grandchildren.
She died on 18 October 2010 in Repton.