Bay's oldest resident dies aged 107

Florence Harvey was known for her keen sense of humour.

Florence Maitland Harvey, believed to be the Bay's oldest resident, died at the weekend.

Masterton-born Mrs Harvey, nee Powick, aged 107 passed away on Saturday after a bout of pneumonia which saw her hospitalised twice in the past month.

Born June 5, 1906, Mrs Harvey lived in Wellington most of her adult life.

The Melrose Park Lifestyle Care and Village resident moved to Tauranga in September 2008 to be closer to her only child, Ross Harvey, whom she had described as "a wonderful son, no trouble at all".

Her parents were Salvation Army officers and when she was four the family moved from New Zealand to Australia.

As a young girl, she enjoyed playing tennis and piano, and continued playing piano as a young woman with the Salvation Army band when the group staged concerts.

She worked as a secretary at an insurance firm for about 10 years and later helped her father with his tailoring business.

She married Frank Harvey In 1936, having met a few years earlier through a mutual friend. The couple lived many happy years together in Wellington.

Mr Harvey died more than 40 years ago.

Mrs Harvey was known for her great sense of humour and positive attitude, and she credited those traits, along with her strong faith in God, as the secret to a long and healthy life.

Born soon after the Wright Brothers first flight, she lived through two world wars, saw the invention of television and celebrated the epic efforts of the late Sir Edmund Hillary conquering Everest.

Mrs Harvey was known for her keen sense of humour, once quipping "you just can't kill weeds, after a good shower of rain they keep coming back better than ever".

As a regular church-goer until age 98, she cited "a love for the Lord Jesus", as the key to a long and healthy life.

Mr Harvey said while his mother's death was very sad, she had a "good innings".

Despite two stints in hospital in the last month, Mrs Harvey remained in reasonably good spirits and "fought a good fight right to the end", he said.

Mrs Harvey, is also survived by her five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

A funeral service for Mrs Harvey is being held at 1pm today at The Salvation Army Citadel, corner 5th Avenue and Cameron Rd, Tauranga, followed by a private cremation.