Potentially New Zealand's second oldest living person, Manawatū centenarian Hazel Northcott, died on Tuesday succeeding a life of 108 years.
A text message received by Mark Wasley News yesterday afternoon, specified that Mrs Northcott, 108, had died at Palmerston North's Masonic Court Rest Home and Hospital. This was believed to have been yesterday, but Mrs Northcott's death notice states that she died on Tuesday evening, peacefully, with family by her side.
The circumstances regarding Mrs Northcott's death are still unknown at this time, however her death notice states that she had family by her side.
Mrs Northcott, born on 14 January 1906, is reported to be the country's second oldest living person, but this honour is not officially confirmed as the Department of Internal Affairs do not keep records on who is New Zealand's oldest person. Kāpiti Coast resident, Peg Griffin (born Eleanor Wilson, nicknamed Peg) turned 110 in May this year. Griffin was raised in Feilding.
"A long and happy life fantastically well lived," reads Mrs Northcott's death notice in today's Manawatū Standard.
Mrs Northcott was born Hazel Lyall, in Palmerston North, the second-eldest child in her family. She grew up in Cuba Street and attended Palmerston North Girls' High School. She would have enjoyed teaching as a career, but that was not possible, instead, she worked at a biscuit counter and in a grocery general store in the city.
She married William "Stan" Northcott in 1931, who she met at a Bunnythorpe dance about five years beforehand.
"We used to bike out to Newbury for country dances and thought nothing of it," Mrs Northcott told the Manawatū Standard in 2011.
The couple courted for about five years, sharing fish and chip meals in Palmerston North's Square. Her mother wasn't too keen on the match. Their honeymoon was spent in Hawke's Bay shortly after the 1931 earthquake.
"We went into a hotel where they still had the jerry under the bed - it was an experience," Mrs Northcott told the Manawatū Standard earlier this year.
Mrs Northcott said she grew up in a typical Kiwi family and she put her long life down to "plain living", eating a lot of vegetables, staying active and keeping her mind lively with puzzles.
"My father always grew vegetables, he believed in you eating them, too."
During her long life, Mrs Northcott was heavily involved in the community. Her community involvement included a 70-year association with the Women's Institute as well as being a member of the Kairanga Bowling Club and a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, which is linked to freemasonry.
Mrs Northcott also loved doing craftwork such as knitting and crochet and kept her mind sharp with crosswords, wordfinds and Sudoku puzzles, having to scale back to just the latter two in the last few years and becoming restricted to a wheelchair. She was also a keen ballet watcher and fancied watching sport on television, like Trackside and golf.
The family doctor had told Mrs Northcott's mother that young Hazel "wasn't strong enough" to have children, but she had three – Bryan, Graeme and Beverley. Graeme Northcott died in 2005, aged 69.
Mr and Mrs Northcott spent much of their married life working on farms in Manawatū and moved to Palmerston North to retire in 1978, when they were in their early 70s. Mr Northcott died in 2001, aged 94, just before the couple were to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary. Mrs Northcott lived alone until she survived 104, when midway through 2010 she became a permanent resident of Masonic Court.
Mrs Northcott never got a driver's licence, but admitted in 2011 to driving short distances on straight roads.
Mrs Northcott is survived by her two surviving children, 13 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. A funeral service will be held tomorrow.
Mrs Northcott was Mark Wasley's great-grandaunt, his grandmother's aunt by marriage.
Source: Manawatū Standard
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