Facebook fan marks 109th birthday
Published on 06 August 2013 10:30 AM
Facebook fan Lily Strugnell is celebrating her 109th birthday.
The great-great-grandmother, who lives on the Isle of Wight, was born in Portsmouth on August 6, 1904.
The fisherman's daughter was the eldest of 11 children and started her life free from technology. The first known photograph of her was taken on her wedding day when she was 22.
But in recent years, Mrs Strugnell has become an avid user of modern technology.
Her granddaughter Debbie Turner has set up a Facebook page where she can look at family photos and keep in touch with friends and relatives. Mrs Strugnell updates her page regularly, posting photos and status updates about her life at Barchester's Orchard House care home in Newport.
From the awe of the Titanic to the 'magic' of an iPad
Mrs Strugnell, who saw the Titanic set sail in 1912, said modern technology such as her granddaughter's iPad, which she uses to view Facebook, was 'like magic'.
She said: 'I couldn't write my name until I went to school, when teachers stuck a pencil in my hand I thought it was a stick. We didn't even own a camera because we couldn't afford it.'
Mrs Turner, 52, added: 'We take so much for granted now, when she went to school, she didn't have shoes. You can't imagine a child going to school without shoes nowadays, although she had shoes to go to church on Sundays.
'And when she was young she didn't have a car, she walked or caught the tram, they didn't have a car until the late 1950s.'
300 followers
Mrs Turner helps her grandmother update her Facebook page, where she has 300 followers. She said Mrs Strugnell had easily adapted to learn about the internet and computers.
Mrs Turner said: 'I think she's amazing. With Facebook one of the nice things is a lot of family she has lost touch with have found her and been able to get in contact. It's a lovely side-effect from Facebook that she has had messages from all over the world.'
When asked about the secret of her longevity, Mrs Strugnell said it was down to 'strong will, plenty of patience and hard work'.
Copyright Press Association 2013