Kitty Donathy

BIOGRAPHY

Kitty Donathy was born in Fulham, London, England on 5 February 1914, the eldest of five children born to Arthur and Ellen Heath. Her father, a Hansom cab driver, died of pneumonia when she was young, and not much is known about her mother. A young child during World War I, she was still able to recall what she referred to as “scary blackouts”, when the family was forced to shut off the lights to their home to hide during German air raids.

She met her husband, Robert “Don” Donathy at the Peggy Bedford pub in Longford, and the couple married in 1934. Together they would have 3 children: a son, Arthur Robert, and two daughters, Mary and Margaret. The family moved to Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire, where Kitty was employed at Woolworths, while Robert worked as a builder.

While she claimed to be unaware of the exact reasons behind her longevity, family members suggested that her healthy diet and active lifestyle may have played an important role: she always cooked fresh food, and continued to ride her bicycle over driving a car until she was in her 90s. Members of her community could fondly recall seeing her cycling to the grocery store into old age, where she would return carrying bags of food on her bike.

At the time of her 109th birthday, all three of her children were still alive, and her family had grown to include four grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren, and many great-great-grandchildren.

She passed away on 9 February 2024, just 4 days after her 110th birthday.