Well-known Tauranga identity Jemima King, 107, died last week. Photo / File
Well-known Tauranga identity Jemima King, 107, died last week. Photo / File
Jemima King, one of Tauranga's "very delightful" and oldest identities has died.
The 107-year-old died at Bayview Oceania rest home on Friday.
Her niece Norma Grice, who lives in Welcome Bay, said her aunt died peacefully at the rest home after falling asleep while having some lunch on July 10.
"We couldn't have asked for a better way of passing.
"My aunt lived a very full life and she was ahead of her time in many ways."
King (nee Williamson) was born in the Shetland Islands, north-east of Scotland, on February 26, 1913, and her father was a ship captain who spent a lot of time at sea.
Her family emigrated to Wellington when she was 16 because of her father's health.
The second daughter of John and Agnes Williamson, King was married and widowed three times but had no children.
She outlived her older sister Agnes Macintyre and her three older brothers John, Harry and Andrew Williamson.
King trained as a hairdresser in her late teens and early 20s and honed her skills for more than 20 years. She had her own hairdressing salon in Wellington.
King retired to Tauranga in the 1970s and gave up hairdressing to become a home executive, and enjoyed still-life and landscape art - skills she attributed to her father.
She was a trained violinist and artist and also a keen ballroom dancer, and spent many happy times playing the violin at social occasions.
Grice, who lives at Greenwood Park Retirement Village, said she and her aunt had a "very close" relationship and she was deeply loved and admired by her and all her other nieces, nephews and extended family members.
"I visited Aunt Jemima as often as I could and those visits were a big part of my life. I will really miss all the special times we shared together.
"My aunt was a real character and she was really a woman ahead of her time over the years. She lived a long and full life and outlived almost everyone in our family.
"According to the Shetland Island records, my aunt was also the oldest Shetlands Islander alive on the planet, so it is an end of an era for sure."
At her 100th birthday, King told the Bay of Plenty Times she had few regrets in life but had always wanted to be a dressmaker because of her love of clothes and fashion.
She was really a woman ahead of her time.
When asked to share her secret to living a long life, she said: "Stay healthy. It's very important to always eat well and exercise and I like to eat lots of oatmeal. A can-do attitude and a positive outlook on life are also important.
"Don't overthink things too much or dwell on regrets. I like to take things as they come each day ... I'm very lucky to have good health and a great family who love and care for me," she said.
A resident of Melrose Village from May 24, 2004, King moved into the Bayview Oceania rest home on December 1, 2012.
Anna Gildenhuys, Bayview Oceania Healthcare's business and care manager, said King had touched the hearts of staff and all the other residents.
Jemima King, 107, died peacefully on July 10. Photo / File
"Jemima was a very delightful and glamorous lady and far from camera shy. She was a well-loved resident in the rest home of The Bayview."
She celebrated her 107th birthday at Bayview and Tauranga mayor Tenby Powell attended her birthday celebration.
Gildenhuys said King loved biscuits and tea and would be "dearly missed".
"She has had a special place in all the staffs' hearts.
"Her voice is quiet now but her precious smile will never be forgotten."
A private cremation has already been held for King, and a private memorial graveside service will be held at Karori Cemetery tomorrow.
