A BIRTHDAY card from the Queen, congratulations from family and friends and a visit from the mayor made it a memorable week for a Tavistock woman who celebrated her 100th birthday last week. Rose Lily Joyce who lives at Chollacott Nursing Home in Whitchurch enjoyed a few parties in her honour. Rose, who is affectionately known as Joycee, said: 'I am absolutely thrilled with my beautiful card from the Queen — it is lovely. 'I do not feel as active as I used to do but everyone has been so kind. I have a lovely cake and there's a lot of chocolate!' She certainly has had an active life — she was born on March 29, 1907, growing up in Bethnal Green, London, one of four children. At an early age she took up swimming and gained medals for diving and life-saving. As a young woman she trained in a women's eight rowing team on the Thames. Her early employment was as a comptometer operator, and hence she was one of the first to use an early version of the computer. Marriage to Tom took Joycee to Leytonstone and then to Harrow where her son Malcolm was born. Malcolm, a retired Lt Col in the Canadian Air Force, was evacuated to Canada during the war, where he now lives with his wife and four children, Mike, Karen, Bobby and Judy, who have a total of six children themselves. Her daughter Vivienne was born in 1942. After travelling round the country with her RAF officer husband Viv and Mike settled in Tavistock 15 years ago with their two sons, Matthew and Jonathan, and Joycee followed them here three years later. Joycee soon settled in to life in Tavistock and with her daughter joined in the evening bridge club at the Alexander Centre. She took great delight for a number of years in helping the children at St Rumon's School where she was greatly appreciated. As reported in the Times, at the age of 90 her extended family, comprising children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces, presented her with the gift of a hot air balloon trip during the Tavistock Balloon Fiesta in 1997. She had been promised a trip in Concorde for her 100th birthday but she has outlasted that particular aircraft. From an early age Lily — as she was known then — played the piano and when still quite young occasionally played for the silent pictures. Joycee has continued to play for dance groups, family get togethers, and for 'old' people at Harewood House.