Amy Hutton was born on July 7, 1916 in the Waianakarua district in North Otago.
She married Gordon Gray, "a lad who lived down the road'', in 1939.
The youngest and last surviving of five daughters, Mrs Gray described herself as a "camper and a traveller''.
Her son, Cliff, and his wife Isobel, said she travelled all through Europe, even in old age. She continued to travel to the Gold Coast until she was 90.
Mr Gray said there was "not a corner of the South Island'' the family had not visited, as they went on holiday almost every long weekend.
He said his mother loved gardening and puzzles, as well as trout fishing. Of all the family, she was the keenest to get out on the river.
She worked at a variety of jobs, including manager of a store in Herbert.
Mrs Gray moved to Balclutha from Dunedin in 1996, one year after her husband died.
Mr Gray said she was a happy soul who always smiled at everyone and was well liked by many people.
When asked the most important lesson he had learned from his mother, Mr Gray said it was to never smoke.
The lesson seems to have been a valuable one, as none of his siblings had taken up the habit either.
Longevity seems to have come from Mrs Gray's mother who was buried on her 97th birthday.
Mrs Gray is the only one of her siblings to reach 100.
She has five children, nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Mrs Gray now lives at Holmdene Home For The Aged where she will celebrate her birthday with friends and family.
