‘If I wake up in the morning and sit around and do nothing, it’s a waste.”
So says the evergreen Linda Yale, who will turn an incredible 104 next Wednesday, Dec. 28, when asked about the secret to her longevity.
“If I knew (the secret), I would be a millionaire. But you’re only granted so many days on Earth, use them. Why waste it. I don’t know how many days I have left,” added Yale, who has only very recently started using her walking frame to get around.
Yale, who is Gilmore Gardens’ most senior resident, said keeping busy in retirement has been one of the keys to her health, as well as the occasional glass of wine from her well-stocked wine rack.
As well as being part of a quilt-making club, Montreal-born Yale — who moved to B.C. and Richmond in 1969 when her husband’s employer transferred him — spends a large chunk of her free time recycling stamps for charity, on behalf of the Eastern Star.
“It keeps me out of trouble,” smiled Yale, who has two children, three grandchildren and one great grandchild, who turns six on Boxing Day.
She’s also a bit of a shark at cribbage, playing twice a week at the Minoru Seniors Centre.
“I won $6 the other day and $11 the week before,” she laughed.
Yale retired from her accountancy profession in 1979, but way back in the day, as a young woman in Montreal in the ‘30s, she was renowned for being the only female fencer in the province and competing against the men.
“I don’t think there were any other female fencers in Canada at the time; the sport wasn’t very well known,” she recalled.
“And I think I was the only girl in the cross-country skiing team, as well; we had to climb the mountain four times a day; there were no tow ropes and we had to wax our skis at the top of the mountain each time.”
As for having a birthday party for the 104th time, Yale is taking it one day at a time.
“I had one last year, so I’m not sure this time. It’s only when I get there that I know.”
