A GREAT great grandmother who fought and recovered from Covid-19 died weeks after celebrating her 103rd birthday.

Moyra Wakefield sadly died peacefully in the loving care of Risedale Abbey Meadow care home in Barrow on June 11.

The great great grandmother was the beloved wife of the late Alfred (Hickey), loving mother of Billy, dear mother-in-law of Jean, much loved grandma, great-grandma and great-great-grandma

The 103-year-old lived in Market Street, Dalton until she was 99 years old, after which she went into Risedale care home.

The mum-of-one was born in Dalton in 1918 before moving to Detroit aged six during the Great Depression.

After three years in the states, the family moved back to Cumbria where she remained until she died.

Her son described her as a ‘feisty’ woman who had reached a ‘huge’ milestone in her life.

The 84-year-old said: "She was very lively and always very smart - she never left the house without being smartly dressed.

"She lived on her own until she was 99. She was very independent and was adamant about doing that for as long as possible."

Mr Wakefield said his family had a history of members living long lives.

"We always knew mum would love until 100 but 103 was something else," he said.

"It was a great achievement. Unfortunately her heart ended up giving out but up until that point she'd lived a relatively healthy life.

"She'd had sepsis, Covid - and battled through them both.

"She looked after her own mum until she was 94 and valued family a lot.

"She was very sharp-minded. She remembers a lot of things from the war and throughout her life.

"She would always talk about her time in the States.

"Her party trick was that she could still recite her allegiance to the flag which she did when she was a little girl.

"She actually did it on her 103rd birthday word perfect!

"She was a real homebird, she'd never been on a plane and was content with the area she was in.

"She was very close to her grandchildren and family.

"They all meant an awful lot to her."