Boksburg woman celebrates her 100th birthday

Long-time Elphin Lodge resident Isobel Kohll celebrated her 100th birthday on Sunday and enjoyed a birthday tea arranged by her sons, Malcolm and Jeffrey.

Born in Boksburg North in 1922, she has lived through a century of change and seen more of life than most people ever will.

Family history

Isobel had three brothers – Julius, Alex and Harold – and a sister, Joyce. She met her husband, Raymond, through Alex, and they were married in 1947.

Shortly after Isobel met Raymond, her sister met Raymond’s brother Edgar and they, too, were married.

Isobel and Raymond emigrated to Zimbabwe in 1962 and, after many years, returned to Johannesburg and lived in Hillbrow until Raymond died in 2001.

Isobel then moved to Rand Aid’s Elphin Lodge retirement village where she has been living for the past 21 years.

“The most important things in life are tolerance, understanding, sympathy and developing an interest in people,” said Isobel, who advises younger generations to always be kind and understanding and to find the good in people.

Dreams and hopes

As Isobel always wanted to travel, she worked at a travel agency to benefit from discounted tickets and travelled to many places around the world.

She was also an actress and dancer who taught speech and drama to hundreds of young men and women across the East Rand. People still speak fondly about their years as her pupil.

“Mom has lived through astounding changes but has remained the loving, generous and lively mother, grandmother and great-grandmother she has always been,” said Jeffrey.

Malcolm described his mother as a fixture, a presence, somebody whom everybody knows. And for all the right reasons.

“They say of some people that they light up a room when they enter, and mom certainly does that. As she has moved through life to become the matriarch of the family, she continues to bring the stability and support that she always has. She’s like the queen, without the corgis.”

Isobel took up painting in her 90s and still plays a mean game of Scrabble.

“She loves music and dance and theatre and it’s heartening to see those passions that inflamed the young girl from Boksburg North are now, 100 years later, still present,” said Malcolm.

– news@citizen.co.za