When Mountain View Manor resident Lois Frederick was born, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was still alive and well, the sinking of the Titanic was breaking news, and most Canadians did not own the emerging technology of a telephone. The average life expectancy was 51.5 years, The Ford Model T had only been in production for four years, and the reigning Stanley Cup champions were the Quebec Bulldogs.
Born in Woodbridge, Ont., on Aug. 13, 1912, Frederick has lived through two world wars, 16 Canadian Prime Ministers, and four British Monarchs. On that day, Canadians would have called George V their King, and he had only been on the throne for two years.
Today, she looks back across more than a century of living; she’s taken 105 trips around the sun with this blue planet. She celebrated her birthday with her family, Tracey Corning, Alexis Outram, Gail Page and Trevor Frederick at Mountain View Manor Sunday afternoon.
“What did you do for most of your life?” asks her daughter-in-law, Gail.
“Live,” replies Lois, which receives a round of laughter.
“Why do you think you’ve lived so long?”
“I don’t know!” More laughter ensues.
Frederick was a registered nurse from the age of 21 until her retirement, becoming matron nurse at Victoria Hospital in London, Ont. She blended an interest in athletics as a speed skater and music with her skill on the piano. In fact, she played “Happy Birthday” to herself at her 100th birthday in 2012.
She married her husband Ed in 1933 and went on to have four children, Eunice, Carol, John and Paul (two children are still alive, while two have passed), seven grandsons, 15 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson. Even she isn’t sure of the exact count any more, since much of her family remains back in Ontario. Ed passed away in 1961, leaving her to raise her four children alone. She never remarried.
After living in Ontario for the first 93 years, she moved to Abbeyfield House in Tsawwassen in 2005, and then to Mountain View Manor at Delta Hospital at the age of 99. It’s something of a surprise that she’s celebrating her sixth birthday since moving in. After all, she was a life-long smoker before going into residential care.
“But she never inhaled,” chimes in Gail. “That was her secret, she said, ‘I don’t inhale.’”
So then, just what is her secret to this long life?
“I don’t have any secrets, I just live,” comes the reply.
There’s some good news for would-be centenarians: she loves chocolate.
A final question comes to my lips.
It’s a delicate one for most folks, but she takes it in stride.
“How many more birthdays will you have?”
“Maybe none.” A pause. “Or maybe one more.”
“Let’s hope there’s one more,” says Gail, smiling while she cuts the chocolate birthday cake.
