Lily Edwards had five generations of family with her at her 100th birthday birthday on April 13, as she couldn鈥檛 have dreamed up a better way to celebrate the impressive milestone.
鈥淚 love the family and we鈥檙e having a roaring time,鈥� the Coldstream woman said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the best time of my life.鈥�
Asked about some of her fondest memories over the past 100 years, Edwards chose to bask in the present moment.
鈥淚 think enjoying my family right now,鈥� 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 she鈥檚 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.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to eat the regular dinner my dad and mom would make,鈥� she laughed. 鈥淎nd so it was all vegetables and nuts and fruit.鈥�
She鈥檚 since taken to eating two eggs each morning, on the advice of Paul, and the two of them agree that鈥檚 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.
鈥淚 loved the rain,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I loved raising my kids there because it鈥檚 a nice city to raise children.鈥�
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.
鈥淚t鈥檚 Jack everywhere in the house, because he was a handyman in every way,鈥� Edwards said.
鈥淗e was the best husband you could ever have. And my Jack, he loved children.鈥�
One of those much-loved children, Howard Edwards, said it was 鈥渢errific鈥� to see so many family members at the birthday party at Vernon鈥檚 Peace Lutheran Church.
鈥淚鈥檓 very happy my mom is here to bring everybody together,鈥� he said.
Edwards鈥� sister, Donna Gervais, 87, was also at the party, and the two sisters delighted in celebrating the eldest鈥檚 milestone.
Another of Edwards鈥� sons, John Edwards, said his mother hasn鈥檛 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.
鈥淪he hasn鈥檛 changed at all, just aged and that鈥檚 it.鈥�
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