A 103-year-old Olds resident says the keys to a long life ñ at least in her case ñ are the ones you always hear about: keep active, don't smoke, drink moderately, get lots of exercise and follow a regular routine that includes plenty of sleep.
Alvina Hawthorne was born June 28, 1914 in Delia, which is about 45 kilometres northeast of Drumheller. She celebrated her 103rd birthday with family at Sunrise Village.
Hawthorne says she and her husband, Wes Hawthorne, who operated Hawthorne's Jewellers, worked hard but also took time out to go dancing ñ especially square dancing -- often. In later years, they golfed a lot during six-week vacations in the southern U.S.
She drinks only very occasionally, having a glass of wine at major family occasions like weddings, Thanksgiving or Christmas. She has never smoked.
She gets up each day at about 7:30 a.m. and goes to bed at about 10:30 p.m.
Hawthorne figures she knows another reason for her longevity.
"I think I possibly was lucky in that I was first-born and maybe I got my share of good genes, being first-born," she says.
She is the only one in her family to live so long. Her husband passed away in the '90s and her siblings passed away many years ago.
Hawthorne still retains a good sense of humour.
"Do you feel 103?" she was asked.
"I don't think so. I've never been here before, so I'm not sure," she said, sparking some laughter.
She was asked how old she felt.
"It varies ñ anywhere from 95 to 100," she answered.
Hawthorne grew up on a farm, the oldest of four children.
"At a fairly young age I had to get on my pony and bring in the cows for milking. I may have been even 10 years old then," she recalls.
"I was nearly eight when I rode to school by myself. And I took 10 years in the country school. We had a lovely country school. We had the lower grades; one to four and then six to 10. And then I went to Drumheller to get the rest of my high school."
Hawthorne was a teacher for 16 years and really enjoyed it.
She met Wes during a New Year's Eve dance at Springwater School.
"At about 10 or 11 o'clock, we were dancing and ñ this was when, if you drove a car, you would possibly have to drain the radiator or it would freeze, or you would have to go out and start it up. We went in a car," she says.
"Anyway, we were dancing away and a man came in and said, ëthere's a raging blizzard outside. Nobody, don't you dare leave. We'll dance and visit and sing until this storm clears, and then we'll shove out so that you can all get home.' So we danced and danced, and he hugged me and we danced."
They didn't leave until dawn. Wes was unable to get Alvina all the way home because the roads were in such bad shape. So at his advice, she stayed at his family's place for a couple of days.
That was it. They were in love and got married a couple of years later.
"He was a farm boy and he was a good dancer and he was nice looking," she says.
They had two children ñ Linda and Dennis.
"He was the love of her life and she was the love of his life," Linda says.
Alvina agrees.
"I think so; simple as that," she says.
Wes never really liked farming. He tried his hand at a few occupations and eventually settled on watchmaking and jewelry, following in the footsteps of an uncle in the U.S.
With assistance from Alvina, Wes operated Hawthorne's Jewellery in Olds for 38 years before retiring.
When Alvina turned 100, the family held special birthday celebrations for her at Sunrise Village and elsewhere.
She received congratulatory messages from Queen Elizabeth; Stephen Harper, the prime minister at the time; and Dave Hancock, the acting premier at that time. They've been preserved in a book, along with photos taken during the celebrations.
"I don't think so. I've never been here before, so I'm not sure."ALVINA HAWTHORNE when asked if she feels 103 years old
