Daniel van Assche,
Fish Hoek
Suzanne van Assche will be celebrating her 100th birthday at Nerina Gardens retirement home on Monday July 27.
She was born in Leuven, in Belgium, on, July 27 1920, the start of the “roaring twenties”, which in itself was a captivating decade. She has a great fondness for her childhood and her youth during World War II. She had many adventures and was talented in art and enjoyed painting in her spare time.
Germany invaded Belgium in May 1940, and the war years were difficult times, but she survived the hardship. There were numerous food shortages and the occasional bombings.
After the war ended, she married Adrien in 1948 and they decided to settle in the then Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
When the Belgian Congo won its independence in 1960, the couple returned to Belgium for three years. Yearning for sunshine, they decided to return to Africa after her studies in beauty therapy.
They made the move in 1963, eventually settling in Fish Hoek.
Beauty therapy was always her passion and this she pursued up to this day even applying make-up to date.
She became a widow in 2007, losing Adrien after 57 years marriage.
Three years ago, she had a bad fall and broke her pelvis and hip. Afterwards, she was unable to walk and was confined to a wheelchair and placed into frail-care management at Nerina Gardens.
Despite all these setbacks, she continues her daily life at Nerina under lockdown conditions due to Covid19.
Her secrets to longevity are no smoking, no drinking, consuming small amounts of food and occupying her mind with watching TV and reading. She has two children, seven grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.
We as a family take this opportunity to thank the staff, nurses, carers and doctors who are looking after her in the present difficult circumstances. For that and by the grace of
God we are eternally grateful.
