Farewell to Susan '“ one of town's oldest residents

Susan Erskine (104) was born on April 10 in 1912 and passed away peacefully on January 4 at Bo’ness Care Home.

She was the second youngest of eight children and was born and brought up in Bo’ness, She moved to Edinburgh in the 1950s because of family work commitments but her heart always remained in the town and moved back there in the 1980s and remained ever since.

She was married to Robert Erskine and they celebrated their 78th wedding anniversary in 2015, making them at the time, Britain’s oldest married couple. Robert (104) sadly passed away a few months later.

The couple met at a church dance in Bo’ness in 1932 before getting married on New Year’s Day at Carriden Parish Church five years later.

The only time they were apart was during World War II, Susan worked as a seamstress in a hosiery factory and Robert was stationed in Iraq.

They had three children, William (78), Margaret (74), who lives in Linlithgow, and Bobby (61), six grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

Her daughter Margaret said: “She was a big part of my life, was a strong woman and she will be sadly missed.”

Her grandson Mark Ewen (44) said: “She was a very loving person, and enjoyed nothing more than having her family and friends around her. She was a long-standing member of the Carriden Parish Church Choir.”

Her funeral takes place at Carriden Parish Church next Wednesday at 11.30am.