Lily Edwards had five generations of family with her at her 100th birthday birthday on April 13, as she couldnāt have dreamed up a better way to celebrate the impressive milestone.
āI love the family and weāre having a roaring time,ā the Coldstream woman said. āItās the best time of my life.ā
Asked about some of her fondest memories over the past 100 years, Edwards chose to bask in the present moment.
āI think enjoying my family right now,ā she said with one of her children, Paul Edwards, at her side as she sat in a pink chair beneath a balloon-frilled banner.
Edwards is sharp as a whip at her advanced age, and says sheās in good health overall. She attributes this to her diet over the years. Growing up in the small town of Stonewall, just outside of Winnipeg, she would forage for wild nuts.
āI didnāt want to eat the regular dinner my dad and mom would make,ā she laughed. āAnd so it was all vegetables and nuts and fruit.ā
Sheās since taken to eating two eggs each morning, on the advice of Paul, and the two of them agree thatās helped keep her strong.
Edwards married her husband, Jack, when they were 20 years old and living in Trail. They moved to Vancouver in the late 1940s, and Edwards loved Vancouver for a number of reasons.
āI loved the rain,ā she said. āAnd I loved raising my kids there because itās a nice city to raise children.ā
Edwards and her husband had five children, and it was to be nearer to her oldest, Marjorie Close, that the two decided to move to Coldstream to retire 30 years ago.
Edwards is remarkably independent, still living on her own in Coldstream in a house that is filled with fond reminders of husband Jack, who passed away about seven years ago.
āItās Jack everywhere in the house, because he was a handyman in every way,ā Edwards said.
āHe was the best husband you could ever have. And my Jack, he loved children.ā
One of those much-loved children, Howard Edwards, said it was āterrificā to see so many family members at the birthday party at Vernonās Peace Lutheran Church.
āIām very happy my mom is here to bring everybody together,ā he said.
Edwardsā sister, Donna Gervais, 87, was also at the party, and the two sisters delighted in celebrating the eldestās milestone.
Another of Edwardsā sons, John Edwards, said his mother hasnāt let the passage of time change her; her personality has stayed consistent throughout the years, from his earliest memories of her when he was five years old, to her 100th birthday party.
āShe hasnāt changed at all, just aged and thatās it.ā
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