One of Oxfordshire's oldest residents, Myra Dowding, has died seven weeks after her 107th birthday.

Born Myra Butler in Upton in 1901, Mrs Dowding was the youngest of four children. She attending school in the village and was a the organist at her local church, St Mary's, for more than 10 years from the age of 16.

It was also around this time that she went to work as a seamstress at Dales, a drapery and general store in Didcot. She married railwayman, Frank Dowding, in 1934 and the couple set up home in Kynaston Road, Didcot.

A year after marrying, Mrs Dowding left Dales to work as a seamstress from home, a job she continued to do into her 80s. She was even knitting items for the Oxfam charity shop in the weeks before she died.

Extremely active in her local community, Mrs Dowding held numerous roles over the course of her life.

These included serving as a councillor from 1960 to 1966, as a governor at Wallingford County Grammar School from 1955 until 1958, and as a governor at Didcot Girls' Grammar School from 1958 until 1965.

As a councillor for Didcot, she was also responsible for helping to set up the meals on wheels service in the town and was chairman of the Didcot Welfare Association for Old Folks in the late 1960s.

After her husband died more than 30 years ago, Mrs Dowding continued to live on her own in their house in Kynaston Road and was very proud of the fact that she was independent despite her age.

Her son Brian said: "She was extremely independent and determined. She had careers in to help her out for the last few years of her life, but apart from that, she managed on her own.

"She was very determined to stay in the home where she had lived for the past 72 years."

She was also looked after by family and friends, who would pop in regularly to check on her.

Mrs Dowding suffered a fall at home earlier this month and was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital, in Oxford, where she died on Tuesday, October 21.

She is survived by her son Brian, her daughter-in-law, two grandchildren and two great- grandchildren.

Mrs Dowding's funeral will take place at St Mary's Church, in Upton, at 11am on Monday, November 3.