Care home staff today appealed for mourners to attend the funeral of a 104-year-old widow who died without any known family or friends.
Daisy Staines was born in 1913 and lived through two world wars but never had children of her own.
It is believed she outlived all her close relatives leaving no-one to remember her after she suffered a fatal stroke last month.
Mrs Staines was a keen ballroom dancer in her youth and had a passion for dance and music but developed dementia around a decade ago.
The disease meant she was unable to tell staff at the Ashlyns care home in Harlow, Essex, where she lived about other people in her past.
They are now trying to track down anyone who knew her to invite them to pay their respects.
Activity co-ordinator Alison Armstrong said: “When she came to us, she had dementia.
“She had a brother called Fred who would come and visit her regularly but we think he has since passed away.
“Daisy was a very keen dancer, she just to enjoy talking about dancing with her late husband and looking at old photos of them both.
“She was such a character, she had a great sense of humour and she was also telling us stories about the war years.”
Daisy, who was born in Tottenham, London, in 1913, married her husband Fred in 1939 when she was 25 years old.
He died in 1980, while the last of her three brothers – Joe, George and Fred, also died last year at 103 years old.
Daisy didn’t have any children but devoted her life to caring for animals – and said her secret to growing old was living life to the full.
Alison added: “She had her favourite people and only let people in who she trusted and liked but she loved other people’s company.
“Her main fashion statement was wigs and she used to put them on and dance around her room.
“She loved anything floral and green, and she loved cats and animals. Whenever we had therapy dogs in, her face would just light up.”
The only people currently due to attend Daisy’s funeral are her carers – however they hope others will also turn up.
Alison said: “If anybody knows Daisy please come along to the funeral, I would hate for anyone to miss it.
“It is just going to be us carers because we don’t know whether she has any more family.
“For someone who has lived that long, just to have people at her funeral would be lovely.
“She was a real character and she will be sorely missed by everyone here.”
Daisy’s funeral will be held at Parndon Wood Road crematorium in Harlow, Essex, at 10.45am on May 18.
