Celebrations, fun and laughter abounded when Sylvia May Renshaw, a resident of Huis Salome (previously Nyala House), turned 100 on Monday (02/05).
Sylvia arrived in Welkom from Brakpan in June 1953.
She was one of the first people to settle in Welkom since its inception in 1948.
Her first husband, Dennis Futter, passed away in 1978.
Their two children, Lesley Futter and Marion O’Connor, blessed them with seven grandchildren.
Sylvia met and fell in love with Neville Renshaw in 2000, and they got married in March 2002.
The couple lived in the Welkom Retirement Village for 20 years until they moved to Nyala House.
She describes their time together as the best years of their lives.
They were still very much in love until Neville’s death in 2020 at the age of 91.
During an interview in 2019, Sylvia told Vista about Neville.
“He spoils me very much. In our younger days we used to love dancing,” she said.
They belonged to the Golden Ray band in the early 2000s.
Sylvia, known for her rainbow cakes, loved baking. She was also an avid bowls, tennis and squash player.
For Monday’s celebrations the core team of staff who care for Sylvia especially wore red shirts – her favourite colour – with “100” printed on it.
