My great Aunt Jean turned 100 years old last week. I asked her 5 questions.
Where were you born?
I was born in Vancouver, Canada in 1914. When I was 8 my family moved to Oshawa. I had 16 dolls and my mother told me there wasn’t enough room to take them all so she stood on the corner and gave them to little girls and told them not to tell Jean. To get to Ontario we took the train and then a ship. I shut that whole ship down when I got measles. Quarantined the whole thing (laughs hysterically).
Tell me about your husband.
My husband Jack died half a century ago. He was a navigator in the Lancaster Bomber and went on 45 missions during World War II.
What was the very first movie you went to see and what movie star did you have a crush on?
What?! That was a really long time ago. I have no idea (hysterical laughter). I don’t remember who I had a crush on! Charlie Chaplin, I guess. I used to go to the movies all the time. My father owned a menswear store downtown and the theatre was right across the street so I’d go visit him and he’d give me money to go to the movies to watch a show and buy candy. If I wasn’t at the movies, for fun I’d talk to all the construction workers around my house and if they weren’t around my mother could always find me in the one room school house across the street sitting beside the teacher.
If you could only have 1 beauty product what would it be?
Lipstick and wrinkle cream. I started using wrinkle cream a year or two ago. I just buy whatever’s on sale. I don’t think those ones on television where they want you to call in right away are any better. Just buy the stuff that’s on sale.
What do you want for your birthday?
An iPad. I really want an iPad. If no one gets me one I’ll just go to the Apple store at the mall and pick one up. It’s only money.
You can say that because you’re 100!
(Laughs hysterically.)
Have a good weekend. Make it count.
My grandma lived into her nineties and I visited her every Saturday. Her stories were often repeats, but I loved hearing her voice and even if I’d heard the memory more than once, I loved hearing it again. She lived an amazing life.
I would love to hear more conversations with your great aunt. A glimpse into another life that spanned a time way before my own and was lived entirely differently from my own is an amazing thing.
I stopped by to check on Cuddles (yay, she’s eating!) and I found this post too. Made my day. Lord, please let me have some of Aunt Jeans’s awesomeness when I’m that age. And now too! Blessings.
Your Aunt Jean sounds like someone I would love to know. I have worked with older people most of my career and just love them. They have so much wisdom to share if we will just slow down and listen to them. I just found your site a few days ago and you sound like some one I would love to be friends with.Your hilarious and absolutely fearless. I read your post about the self leveling compound and that’s stuff I’m gonna have to do.You made me not quite so nervous about it.I’ve got one question though.Is your house a pier and beam construction or does it have a concrete foundation. I’ve not been able to find out from what I’ve read anywhere else whether it can be used on a house that is a pier and beam construction or not. Sorry for the long post.
Behind in reading my mail. This was a wonderful post. Life in five questions. Thank you.
Happy Birthday “Aunt Jean” I hope you get your I pad. You should go to the Apple Store you will love it. You look fantastic, (for any age) and very stylish too. Hope you had a fantastic day not just on the day, but every day. <3
Huh? Karen, did this sneak past you?
LOL. Yes it did. Thanks for alerting me! ~ karen
I hope she got the iPad.
Or at least a ride to the Apple Store.
Could you add an icon we could click on and donate money to buy her an ipad ?
New life goal: to live to 100 and be as sharp and awesome at Aunt Jean.
This is a great little interview! 100 years old! That’s amazing, and it seems she still has got a long way to go!
Your Great Aunt is quite simply stunning on the inside and the out. Love this post.
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Am I the only one that thinks it’s funny she was hanging with the construction workers? She is just too precious. Love her to bits.
She’s great and that picture should sit on your shelf. What a wonderful memory.
LOVE.THIS!