GRANDMOTHER and keen cook, Cassey Lilian Crocker of Poole, has died at the age of 101.

Born just a week before the outbreak of the First World War, Cassey was one of four siblings including May, Reg and Lou, with whom she shared a home in Kingsclere in Hampshire. At school, she excelled at needlework, embroidery, knitting and geography and was also learned how to become a good cook. Each summer, Cassey and her sister, May, would stay with their grandmother in Kent where they go hop picking.

After leaving education, she went to London to work for the John Lewis family and then for Jeremiah Colman, who created the famous yellow-labelled Colman's Mustard, where she learnt to fold socks and shirts, iron newspapers and cook.

In 1939, Cassey moved to Weymouth to help her cousin run the London Hotel near the seafront. It was here that she also met her future husband, Percy Crocker, who she married in April 1941.

Percy worked at the Whitehead Torpedo Works in Weymouth before moving to its shadow factory in Bournemouth and the happy couple welcomed their first son, David, in 1944.

After the war, Percy was employed by Hamworthy Engineering, initially in Hamworthy and then at the firm's Fleetsbridge site. By now Percy and Cassey had moved to Parkstone and went on to welcome their second son, John, in 1948.

Cassey enjoyed walking in the fields and woods of Dorset and regular visits to Weymouth to stay with Percy's mother, with trips out to Portland. The family also enjoyed caravan holidays in West Bay and holidays touring Wales with friends.

They went on to welcome two grandsons, Edward and Philip, by son David and his wife, Anne, and two granddaughters, Elizabeth and Louise, by John and his wife Frances, with whom they would also enjoy trips to Weymouth and Purbeck.

Cassey and Percy celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary in 2009 before he died in October the same year.

Cassey continued living in her Parkstone home enjoying cooking, baking, making marmalade and preserves to keep the larder stocked with pickled onions, chutney, jams, fruit cakes and Christmas puddings for all the family. She moved to Canford Chase care home in 2012 where she celebrated her 100th birthday surrounded by her family and friends.

She died on June 19th and her funeral took place at Poole Crematorium on Thursday July 7.