Local senior resident celebrates 100th birthday

Long-time Elphin Lodge resident Isobel Kohll celebrated her 100th birthday and enjoyed a lovely birthday tea arranged by her sons, Malcolm and Jeffrey, on November 12.

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Isobell’s birthday was on November 13, even though she celebrated with her family a day earlier.

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

She had three brothers; Julius, Alex and Harold as well as a sister, Joyce.

She met her husband Raymond through Alex, and they got married in 1947.

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

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

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

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“The most important things in life are tolerance, understanding, sympathy and developing an interest in people,” said Isobel.

She advised younger generations to always be kind and understanding and to find the good in people.

“I couldn’t have chosen a better place to live than Elphin Lodge. I didn’t know this part of the world at all when I moved here,” she explained.

“The staff, without exception, are always kind and understanding. They always have a smile and we have a good old to-do,” she says.

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

Besides her passion for travel, Isobell was an actress and dancer and taught speech and drama to hundreds across the East Rand

“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 mom as a fixture, a presence, and a somebody that everybody knows.

“They say of some people that they light up a room when they enter, and mom certainly did that.

“As she has moved through life to become the matriarch of the family, she continues to bring that stability and support that she always has. She’s like the queen, without the Corgis.”

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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.

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