Freuchie-born Christina Paterson has died at the age of 106, just days short of her 107th birthday.
The First World War had not long started when Christina, who was known throughout her life as Bud, was born in Queen Street in the village to William and Jemima Crawford.
Her father worked on farms and then formed a haulage business working from Ladybank.
Siblings
Her mother looked after the family of nine: seven boys and two girls. Bud was the second oldest and her youngest sibling, Wilma, 88, is still alive.
She began her education at Logie School and in the mid 1920s began work at the linen factory in Freuchie.
During the 1930s as Europe faced the prospect of another devastating war, Bud met her future husband John (Tony) Paterson at a local dance.
Tradesman
He hailed from Methil and had been working as a plumber in Markinch.
They married in 1938 at Ladybank Church and before long Tony was off to war, serving with the Royal Corps of Signal in Holland and then Germany.
Their only daughter, Janette was born in 1942.
Careers
After the war the couple set up home in Falkland where Tony worked for Spittal the plumber and Bud served in the firm’s ironmonger’s shop. They couple lived above the premises.
This is where the couple spent most of their working lives and when they retired aged 65 they moved back to Bud’s home village of Freuchie.
They moved into a new home where they created an attractive garden, winning the best small garden in Freuchie award a couple of times.
Travel
Bud and Tony also used their retirement to enjoy bus tours and holidays with other couples and Bud was known for creating knitted figurines for family members
Her daughter Janette said: “My mother could not believe she was so old but she was thrilled by the idea. She would have been 107 on May 28.
“My grandfather lived to be near 90 and my Uncle Jim was well into his 90s.”
