Tauranga resident Willa Crews,106, remembered for 'glass-half-full' outlook

Tauranga resident Mabel "Willa" Crews at her 105th birthday party. Photo / File

She survived the polio outbreak, Great Depression, two world wars and fatal Napier earthquake. But this month Willa Crews, the centenarian with a "glass-half-full" point of view, has died.

Born Clarice Mabel Beale on August 17, 1914, she was the only daughter of William Rolla and Mabel Beale, who married in Mosgiel on January 11, 1910.

Willa was just 6 weeks old on September 28, 2014, when her father, aged 32, was killed after he accidentally stepped into the mine shaft at the Blackwater Gold Mine in Reefton.

Her mother changed their daughter's birth name to Mabel Williamina in his memory.

Willa's second oldest son Graham Crews, 81, said his mother was a "stoic, resilient and very adaptable" person no matter what challenges she faced.

"Mum was very much a glass-half-full person and always saw the positive in every situation, and had a 'let's just get on with it' attitude."

In her 106 years, Willa survived the 1916 NZ polio outbreak, the Great Depression, two world wars and the 1931 Napier earthquake which killed 256 people.

On her 105th birthday, Willa spoke to the Bay of Plenty Times about sitting on the veranda having a cup of tea with her neighbour when the 1931 earthquake struck.

"The stove shook its way right out the door," she said.

The 1916 polio outbreak left Willa with a partially paralysed leg and weakened arm and she wore a leg brace for much of her life.

Willa Crews aged 2. Photo / Supplied

She left school at 15 but jobs were hard to come by and the family lost their home as they could not afford to pay for its upkeep.

Willa married Dunedin-born Arthur Robert Crews in Taradale on March 14, 1938, after meeting at a dance in Napier in 1936.

However, Graham said his mother's interest was first sparked after she saw Arthur through a shop window and thought "he was not a bad-looking specimen of a man".

The couple settled in Napier, where Arthur worked as an insurance agent, real estate agent, and grocer over time.

He actively served with the NZ Army's 24th Field Ambulance from 1942 to 1944 in the Soloman Islands and New Caledonia.

On his return, the pair opened grocery stores and both worked at Crews Groceries in Palmerston North from 1949 to 1956.

The couple raised four children - Brian, 82, Graham, 81, Allan, 77, and Shirley Watson nee Crews, 75.

Moving to Tauranga in 1964 to take advantage of the better climate, Arthur took a job in a home appliance store, before working as a real estate agent until he retired in 1976.

He died on August 28, 2001.

Graham Crews said his mother, who at the time of her death was a resident at Radius Matua rest home, was always "loving, caring, kind and understanding".

"Mum had a great sense of humour and she was a stoic and resilient person.

"When I think about the first 30 years of her life, our generation and the next generation would never have coped with all the tragedies Mum and others had to deal with.

"Even in the midst of tragic events, Mum had a 'half-glass-full' attitude and always saw something positive about it. She believed there was always someone worse off than her."

Mabel Williamina "Willa" Crews Photo / Supplied

Graham said both his parents kept journals and wrote books about their life experiences.

Willa was a lifetime churchgoer at Matua's St Columba Presbyterian Church, a keen needleworker, knitter, gardener and "very snappy" card player, he said.

She was also a keen listener of radio and TV news, a Tauranga Floral Arts Club member and she and Arthur travelled extensively in New Zealand.

Willa had been at Radius Matua for about 10 years and facility manager Craig Shipton said her death had been felt deeply.

"She was an amazing lady, cheerful and so positive. Right up to the last week or so before her passing, Willa was still involved in everything at the home. She always insisted on going down to the dining room to eat all her meals every day.

"She had an incredible sense of humour, and she was a much-loved member of the Radius Matua family."

Willa had two older brothers, Rolla and Alva Beale, as well as two step-siblings from her mother's second marriage in 1923, Garth and Valmai. They have all died.

She was the proud "Nana Willa" to her 11 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and 16 great-great-grandchildren.