THE woman believed to have been Malton's oldest resident has died at the age of 105.

Nora Barrow passed away peacefully on Wednesday at Autumn Lodge in York Road, her home for the last 14 years.

A parson's daughter, Mrs Barrow spent her early years in Derbyshire before moving to Vancouver with her husband, Claude, after they married in 1924.

The couple returned to Derbyshire, where they ran some garden nurseries. They were regular visitors to friends in the Ebberston area, and about 40 years ago moved to a bungalow in Snainton. Mr Barrow died in 1967, when Mrs Barrow moved to another address in Snainton. She later lived at Stamford Bridge, and then West Ness, near Nunnington before moving to Autumn Lodge. Mrs Barrow was a keen gardener, and liked needlework and crafts. A lifelong family friend, Joan Hebden, said she had been "marvellous" up to a couple of months ago. "She had a wonderful memory. Right up to the end, she could talk about the old days."

Her funeral is at St Michael's Church, Malton, at 2pm on Wednesday, followed by interment at Snainton churchyard.

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