In 1938, Mrs Mander married Raymond Mander and together they ran a small dairy farm and orchard.
They had three sons and a daughter, and later came 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Her son Graeme Mander said he and his siblings were kept busy on the farm.
"We worked at home in the orchard, there was a cow to be milked every day and meals to get ready in week-about turns."
Throughout the years, the couple were heavily involved in the community.
They were foundation members of the Tauranga branch of the Forest and Bird Protection Society and hosted meetings of the Bay of Plenty Sub-Tropical Fruits Association.
Mrs Mander was an enthusiastic gardener and was a member of the Otumoetai Garden Club. She was the treasurer of the Otumoetai branch of the women's division of Federated Farmers for 40 years.
She enjoyed photography and took thousands of photos.
Mr Mander said trees, shrubs, clock towers and hills did not stand a chance against his mother's love for pictures.
"The principle seemed to be if it stood still, it was to be photographed and if it moved, she would insist it stood still to be photographed."
Mrs Mander and her husband liked to tramp and would regularly take day-long trips to local forests and mountains. They were both members of the Tauranga Tramping Club from 1965.
Raymond died in 1995.
In 2007, she was delighted when her son Neil was made a Member of the NZ Order of Merit and she attended his investiture ceremony where she met the Governor-General.
Reading and knitting were favourite past times.
Mrs Mander lived in Otumoetai for more than 70 years until she had a stroke about 18 months ago. She now lives in Bethlehem Views. She can no longer speak and has problems with her vision and hearing.
Mr Mander said his mother was a caring, conscientious and community-minded woman who had lived a long and busy life.
