Bermuda will bid farewell to one of its oldest residents on Monday when 107-year-old Alice Jones is laid to rest after a full and useful life.

Mrs. Jones arrived in Bermuda in 1922 after spending her early life in New Jersey, including a spell in East Rutherford, which was then largely marsh land, but later became the venue for the New York Giants stadium.

She came to the Island for a holiday and to seek out a family friend - and met her future husband Charles during the visit.

The pair were married two years later but only had 18 years together before Charles, who ran a cycle livery firm and gift shop, died of the same kidney disease which had killed his brothers.

Mrs. Jones returned to teaching, which she had practised in the US, and she developed a reputation as a strict disciplinarian at Warwick Academy.

A hush would descend on the school when she appeared, although pupils respected her fairness as she taught maths and religion, said her son Charles.

He remembers one student who learned to divide fractions the hard way.

He said: "He could not get it into his head that you invert fractions and then multiply.

"So she called two other boys out to the front of the class and they held him upside down. He never forgot after that."

A lover of music, Mrs. Jones played piano at the school and sang in the choir at Christ Church in Warwick where she will be buried.

Her long retirement allowed her to indulge her passion for travel and she took lone trips when in her late 80s to visit her son and his family when they lived in Japan.

Her daughter-in-law Barbara said: "She was an adventurous brave lady. She was asked what the key to her old age was and she said it was keeping busy.

"She certainly did that. She was still playing bridge when she was 101 and kept the scores in her head.

"She wrote letters every Sunday until she couldn't read anymore.

"She was the perfect mother-in-law - although she held strong views she never meddled or told us what to do."

The funeral will be held at 4 p.m. at Christ Church in Middle Road, Warwick on Monday. In lieu of flowers, relatives and friends may wish to contribute to the Warwick Academy Alice Jones Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box Wk 97, Warwick WK BX.