A WOMAN who ran a well-known fashion store in Highcliffe is celebrating her 100th birthday.
Joan Dean ran Diana Fashions in Highcliffe which became a hugely popular store in the area. She had branched out into fashion after spending three years running a fruit and veg shop in New Milton.
The centurion had actually wanted to be an artist after leaving Erdington Grammar School near Birmingham, where she grew up.
Joan Dean celebrated her 100th birthday at Sway Place
But sadly, her chosen art college burnt down so she followed in her father’s footsteps and joined Ford Dunlop where she became an apprentice tracer in the drawing office.
She thoroughly enjoyed the job, and it was at that company she met her first husband.
The couple went on to have a son, Andy, and then emigrated to Canada in the early 60s.
After two years, they bought a house and moved to Los Angeles, which Joan much preferred to the cold of Canada.
However, the family returned to live in the UK to look after Joan’s father after her mother died during a visit to LA. They settled in Torquay for a while, but after her father moved into accommodation provided by the church, they decided to move to Highcliffe, where they had friends.
Joan and her first husband ran the fruit and veg shop before Joan went on to Diana Fashions.
She then met her second husband Tony, who she married in 1992, and following his death in 2005 continued to live independently in New Milton until ill health in 2021 saw her move to Sway Place nursing home.
Joan attributes her longevity to having a “relaxed attitude” to life – she considers herself a “what will be, will be sort of person”.