Lilyon Sutherland became a centenarian on Aug. 3, joining the exclusive club of elders who can say they’ve seen a century pass before them.
To celebrate, she was joined by her four children, Anthony, Patrick, Linda and Anne, who flew in from across Canada for a party at Chartwell Carrington House Retirement Residence.
Sutherland was born in London, England but was a globetrotter before she settled in Mission in 1986. She was stationed in South Africa at the tail end of the Second World War where she met her Australian husband, Donald.
Donald passed away in 2014 after 68 years of marriage to Lilyon. Sutherland said that 1945 – the year she was married – is probably her favorite year out of 100 she’s lived, but added it’s very hard to choose.
“I’ve had so many wonderful years it’s hard to pick one out,” she said. “I’ve been very fortunate.”
Patrick and Anthony were born in South Africa, and Linda and Anne were born in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) before the family moved back to England, before finally immigrating to Canada in 1959.
Linda said her mother’s routines may have helped her live so long.
She remembers Sutherland starting her days with a coffee and crossword puzzle before heading out to the garden for a “therapeutic session of weed pulling.”
In the evenings she would host friends for card games of Hand and Foot, and close the day watching her and Donald’s favorite TV show, Frost and Heartbeat.
Linda said she still found time to make shepherd’s pie with a trifle dessert, and knit baby touques for newborn babies at Mission Memorial Hospital.
Children from a local elementary school wrote Sutherland 100 birthday cards to mark the special birthday.
When asked how it feels to make it to 100-years old, Sutherland said: “Wonderful. Ask me again tomorrow.”
