Thornhill Manor resident turns 90
She spent 21 years as a Hospice counsellor and still takes calls from many previous clients and assists others where she can.
Thornhill Manor retirement village resident, Ms Hylda Skutelsky, recently turned 90 years old.
She was born and raised in Johannesburg. She lost her husband 38 years ago and when the company she worked for as a personal assistant for 31 years went bankrupt, she also lost her job.
“I was devastated after losing my husband and for almost 12 years thereafter, I did not really live, but merely went through the motions. But then the universe stepped in and I changed my career direction,” said the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three.
Ms Skutelsky trained as a therapist and counsellor, and that is what she has been doing ever since. She spent 21 years as a Hospice counsellor and still takes calls from many previous clients and assists others where she can.
She heard about Thornhill Manor from a friend, who asked her to have a look at the retirement village when she was 78 years old.
“I lived in a duplex at the time and I did not want to move, but I went to take a look. They were still building the cottages at the time but as soon as I saw them, I just knew I could live here. That was 12 years ago and now I bless the day I came to live at Thornhill Manor,” she said.
Her secret to a long life is yoga, which she still practices every day as well as being of service to others.
