ONE of Teignmouth’s oldest residents has died at the age of 99.

Joan Aplin’s coffin was taken by horse and carriage through the streets of Teignmouth for her funeral, bringing traffic to a temporary halt.

Born in Watford, Joan had lived in Dawlish and Teignmouth for almost 80 years.

Three years ago, her family set her 100 challenges to complete before she died including holding a bird of prey, meeting meerkats, learning to croquet, visiting new venues and many craft and baking activities.

One of the few challenges she did not manage to complete was to have her photo in her local paper.

Posthumously, the Mid Devon Advertiser, Teignmouth Post and Dawlish Gazette are now fulfilling that wish.

Daughter Shirley said: ‘Joan rose to these challenges with enthusiasm and loved them all.

‘However her favourite one was dressing up as Father Christmas in December and giving out chocolate coins to children around Teignmouth.’

Joan’s love of the area began when as a teenager she regularly visited Dawlish with her parents on holiday.

Her future husband Harold Aplin, known as Greg, had lived there all his life but when they met, he was home on leave from the Royal Navy.

He stepped out of a fish and chip shop as Joan was passing and offered her one of his chips.

They married 18 months later and lived in a bedsit in Dawlish where their first daughter, Valerie was born. Greg was a plaster, and later a builder, and initially life was very tough.

However through determination and very hard work, they were eventually able to own their own house in Teignmouth.

Over the next eight years Joan and Greg went on to have two further daughters, Shirley and Janette, followed by a son, Jeremy.

After moving to a small holding in Dawlish, daughter Fiona was born.

Shirley said: ‘Joan dedicated her whole life to bringing up her family.

‘She enjoyed nothing more than cooking and knitting for us all. Her love for us knew no bounds.'

Once their children had left home, Joan and Greg moved to Bishopsteignton for several years and enjoyed many holidays around the world.

In 2003 Greg died from mesothelioma.

Joan never really came to terms with his death and found this very hard. After a few years spent in Bovey Tracey, close to one of her daughters, Joan moved into Royal Court in Teignmouth where she lived quietly and independently, kissing Greg’s picture every night.

Shirley continued: ‘Joan experienced the greatest joy whenever any of her 10 grandchildren and 12 grandchildren visited.

'However over the past six years Joan became more frail and was confined more and more to a wheelchair

‘At this stage she required full time live in carers. Without exception all her carers adored her.

‘Despite her fragility she had the heart of a lion and survived several falls, a car accident, broken ribs and Covid.

‘She loved the challenges we set her in later years and died from old age, quietly at home surrounded by her family.’

The only requested she had ever made for herself was that she could have a horse draw carriage for her funeral, a wish her family was able to fulfil.