At 104 years old, Jae Buchanon has witnessed the world change.
Over the course of her life, Buchanon saw the birth of the Internet, cell phone and colour TV. She was a child in the roaring ’20s, and lived through the Great Depression, the Second World War and the nuclear age.
The Mission resident was born in Calgary in 1919 as Jae Johnstone before making the move to Vancouver with her family when she was five years old.
She said the train trip was quite an experience in those early days.
Johnstone later met George Buchanon and the two married on June 13, 1940. Jae Johnston would then become Jae Buchanon.
Buchanon wasn’t employed outside the home but she often volunteered and participated in other activities. She has been physically active throughout her life, with line dancing standing out as one of her favourite pastimes.
For over 20 years, Buchanon would go line dancing several times a week. She was still going three times a week when she turned 100 in 2019 at the seniors centres in Mission and Abbotsford.
She always loved to dance and enjoyed many friends over the years. However, a few years ago Buchanon stopped line dancing.
The 104-year-old still walks with a walker to keep herself active.
Buchanon has been a Mission resident for over 40 years. She fell in love with the area through summer vacations at Hatzic Lake.
The first vacation took place in 1961 and the summer days were filled with family, friends and water skiing — which she enjoyed until she was 70.
Jae and George retired to Hatzic Lake in 1984. George has since passed away and Jae now lives on her own at the same summer cabin.
She enjoys the view at the cabin, especially the peaks of Mount Baker.
Buchanon often has her eyes on the skies and loves to watch birds, especially eagles.
Despite living on her own, Buchanon gets frequent company and a weekly family dinner.
Since she moved to Mission, the city has grown in both population and size. The amount of traffic is one of the biggest differences she’s seen over her time in Mission, but she says the main street of First Avenue maintains a friendly small-town feel.
Buchanon celebrated her 104th birthday on Thursday (Nov. 16) and had a birthday party on Saturday (Nov. 18) in Mission.
She never smoked or drank alcohol, but a sweet tooth didn’t impact her longevity. Her motto has always been, “eat chocolate and everything is better with butter.