Celebrating a Century: Tauranga woman turns 100

Mary's children shared that keeping very busy and very active is her secret to life at 100 years old.

Mary Francis’s “healthy life” spent growing her food and staying active has been credited with helping the keen fisherwoman reach her 100th birthday.

Golden foil balloons floated as the Hodgson House Lifecare & Village hosted a celebration last week for Francis, who was born on October 1, 1924.

Her four children Gay Deal, John Foley, Peter Foley and Tina Foley were there to celebrate the milestone.

Two children, Peter Foley and Tina Foley, shared stories of Mary’s life with the Bay of Plenty Times.

Tina Foley told the Times her mother grew up in Kaipara Flats, north of Auckland, later moved to Manawaru in the Waikato, and then spent her early adult years in Auckland.

Francis met her first husband Bill Foley at a dance and married in 1946.

She worked as a nurse assistant at a medical practice in Mount Eden, then as secretarial support for accountants.

“Then, after she was married, my father was a teacher so Mum drove the school bus and raised children, cleaned, made all of our clothes, knitting, everything,” Tina Foley said.

Mary Francis celebrated her 100 birthday at Hodgson House with her family and friends to reflect on her century of life.

Peter Foley spoke about how his mother used to drive big Mack buses.

“They were basically Mack trucks turned into buses. She was 5ft1 at the time and would drive that school bus for about eight-odd years for Tui Motors of out Te Puke,” he said.

“People would say, ‘Gosh, but you’re so little and she said I’m driving it, not carrying it’,” Tina Foley said.

“She’d repeat that quite often.”

Peter Foley shared some of the many hobbies his mother picked up over her century of life.

“She took up golf, and was reasonably good at golf and she took up bowls, and outdoor bowls and she was even better at that.”

“She lived at Lake Rotoiti for many years and enjoyed many days trout fishing and living on the edge of the lake and entertaining family.

Mary Francis is an avid fisher and loves spending her time out on Lake Rotoiti.

He shared how Francis would take the launch out on the lake, on her own, go trout fishing and peel onions out on the boat for pickled onions while fishing.

Francis and Bill parted ways and Francis remarried Harry Francis in 1976. The couple spent many years together at Lake Rotoiti, until Harry died in 1996.

“Living at the lake, she had many visitors, so it was not a problem for her to whip up a banquet for two or 20 at a moment’s notice.

“She was a very good chef and a great baker,” Peter Foley said.

Francis has one granddaughter, Nicky Phillips, and two great-granddaughters, Maddison and Mackenzie.

As many of her family and friends arrived to honour her century milestone, her children imparted the knowledge of her secret to a long life.

“Just pretty much living a healthy life.

“People from Mum’s era had their gardens, they cooked what they ate and they didn’t buy stuff in.

“She was still pushing a lawn mower in her early nineties and still going to the rugby and having a drink at 95,″ Tina Foley said.

“She was always keeping very busy and very active,” Peter Foley said.

Francis lived in Auckland from 2001 to 2021 then moved to Tauranga.

The family wanted to thank the staff at Hodgson for the wonderful care and love the team have given their mum.

Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.