THE OLDEST person in Pembrokeshire sadly passed away on January 16 at her nursing home, at the grand age of 107.
Born in 1908, Ivy Violet Jones, passed away peacefully at Ridgeway Nursing Home in Llawhaden, and throughout her years, had witnessed huge historical events, including the First and Second World War.
Ivy loved tennis, and was a keen player. She attended Wimbledon on a number of occasions, and saw a huge amount of pre and post war tennis stars.
Ivy trained as a secretary when she finished school, and met her first husband, Gwylym Lloyd Williams through work, who she married in 1929. Gwylim landed himself a job in Spain, however they had to leave in 1936 after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.
Not long after did they relocate to Athens, where they lived next door to an attaché at the German embassy the Nazi flag would be raised outside their neighbour’s house every morning, and his young son would wear a Hitler youth uniform and give a Nazi salute. Ivy said she “hated” this from the start.
In August 1939, Gwylim sadly passed away at a young age. Ivy then returned to work, and until 1946, worked for the Auctioneer’s and Estate Agents’ Institue. After that, she worked for the Women’s Institute magazine, Home and Country, and became the sub-editor.
Due to her excellence in the workplace, by 1953, Ivy became a private secretary for Dr Michael Balint, who was a well known psychoanalyst.
Ivy then married her second husband, Tom Jones of Hafod Wen, Crowhill in Haverfordwest in 1960 after moving to Pembrokeshire, and became a step-mother, step-grandmother, and in later years, a step-great-grandmother. Ivy never had any children of her own.
They both attended the Ebernezer Chapel for many years, and were huge supporters of the old Country Club in High Street.
Tom sadly passed away in 1978, after which she relocated to Spring Gardens, then onto Ridgeway Nursing Home in 2013, where she spent the remainder of her days.
David Warren, Ivy’s step-grandson, described her as a very “warm and kind person.” He also said that she enjoyed poetry and literature, and was reciting the works of Wordsworth and Browning, even in the week before her passing.
He added that she was also mentally alert almost to the end, and would discuss memories, current affairs, and a wide range of subjects with family and friends.
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