200-years-old and counting!
By Mona Mattei
Two ladies each celebrated 100 years of life last week in Midway. A large number of well-wishers visited Lena Cannon and Bea DeCourville for their celebration. Both ladies live at Parkview Manor and they hosted an open house on Tuesday, Feb. 9 to celebrate.
“It was a full house,” said Loreen Matteis, staff member at Parkview Manor. “It ran about two hours and there were steady visitors for the whole time.”
The ladies had birthday cake presented as they celebrated with friends and family, flowers arrived from Midway Village Council and friends, as well as other gifts. They received certificates from the Canadian Governor-General recognizing their longevity.
DeCourville lived in Greenwood before moving to the Manor, having retired to Greenwood with her husband from the Vancouver area. Her birthday was on Feb. 10. Cannon was a long-time community member in Rock Creek with her family, and was one of the first residents in the Manor when it opened. Cannon’s birthday was Feb. 9.
For Cannon the day was indeed special. Her two sons were able to come to the celebrations along with other family members. She has five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
“It was a whip-snorter, absolutely!” said Cannon. “It was packed. I started at one end (of the room) and had a chat with everybody! They didn’t come to me – I went to them. I talked to every last one of them.”
Although Cannon said she told people not to buy any presents she did receive a few special gifts. “People didn’t give me too many chocolates and stuff. They were in the mood of family. I got a couple of family albums – stuff you can keep and look at and enjoy.”
Cannon moved with her husband and one son to Rock Creek in 1957. Her husband was involved with forestry and worked in a variety of jobs, lastly with the provincial government. Although she has seen a lot of changes in her life, she says she was always involved in her community. Although life was tough at times, Cannon said they just got through it all. Cannon is happy with her life today, and enjoys the contact with her family across the country.
“I do fairly well. I am in a very happy home. There are only three of us left from when the Manor opened. It’s more like a family here, you don’t feel that you are a non-entity ever,” said Cannon.
When asked if she is planning for 10 more years she laughed, “There might not be any more and I’m not worried about it. I live one day at a time.”
