The funeral service for centenarian Audrey Quirk will take place tomorrow, Friday, at midday in St German’s Cathedral, Peel. 

One of the town’s oldest and most-respected residents, Mrs Quirk was lady chair alongside her late husband Harrison when he was chairman of Peel Town Commissioners in 1961. She was also a Justice of the Peace until retiring in 1992 at 68.  

The Quirk family ran the largest bakery/grocery shop in Peel up until the emergence of the large supermarkets like Shoprite in the early 1970s.  

Harrison’s father Stanley worked for the Clague family in a similar business until the latter retired and Stanley took over in the late 1930s.

At one time he had a shop at the top of Lake Lane (1 Patrick Street) and the larger premises at 8 Michael Street.  

This grocer/bakery shop was in its prime throughout the 1950s and 1960s with upwards of a dozen members of staff, including bakers and delivery drivers.  

Mrs Quirk was the bookkeeper and wages clerk, but also baked apple pies for the shop and annually made a hundredweight of mincemeat for the Festive mince pies.  

In her retirement, she volunteered her services at Peel Charity Shop (continuing well into her 90s), baked cakes for coffee mornings and provided a Meals on Wheels service for pensioners who were less mobile than herself.  

This was all a long cry from the War years when, as a teenager, she was a member of the Land Army on a farm that was part of Coney Hatch, North London, looking after cattle. 

She and Harrison met at Butlin’s Holiday Camp in Pwllheli, Wales in 1948. 

He was on holiday from the Isle of Man, of which she knew nothing.

A romance began via correspondence once the holiday was over, and the wedding took place in Southgate in 1950. 

They had three sons, Anthony, Peter and Andrew, all born in the 1950s. 

Audrey and Harrison travelled well into the early 2000s, notably to New Jersey where youngest son Andrew and wife Patricia have lived for more than 30 years.

Their middle son Peter and wife Sue live in Sidcup, South-east London.  

Following the death of her husband, Mrs Quirk lived with Anthony and his wife Jill in her own ‘granny flat’ at the newly-built Cliff Cottage right up until early July this year, when she moved into Castle View Nursing Home.  

On Valentine’s Day, in February, she was delighted and extremely proud to receive a card from King Charles to mark her 100th birthday.

This was officially given to her by Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer at a party in Peel Golf Club, attended by more than 70 guests.  

Much loved and extremely popular, Mrs Quirk leaves her three devoted sons and daughters-in-law, five grandchildren and six great grandchildren.