June is Seniors Month. It is a time to recognize and celebrate the valuable contributions that older adults have made to their families, communities and to this city. Meet some of the Seniors Services and Long-Term Care clients and residents who are at least 100 years of age.
Gloria Amritt was born in Jamaica in 1924 and is the last remaining of six children. After attending the prestigious Wolmers Girls High School in Kingston, Jamaica, she emigrated to Winnipeg to pursue a nursing career. Returning to Jamaica, she worked in hospitals, serving as a District Nurse and driving her own car to service country areas.
A deeply religious person, she joined the Latin America Mission in Florida and was sent to Bogota, Columbia where she worked for 26 years as a missionary nurse, becoming fluent in Spanish. On retirement, Gloria settled in Toronto, living at Shepherd Village before moving to Bendale Acres in 2017. Gloria loves reading, especially her Bible, and enjoys playing scrabble and dominoes.
Beatriz Canicula is 100 years old and has lived at Bendale Acres for the past five years.
Born in the Philippines, she was a teacher of Home Economics. She is fluent in Tagalog and English, and a very proud Canadian citizen. A military widow, mother of four, with 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, she followed her children to Canada so they could pursue their dreams.
Beatriz is a positive influence for all her multi-generation family members. At the long-term care home, Beatriz enjoys the Rosary Circle, Arts & Crafts, and the visiting Snack Bus.
Wing Sun Chan was born in China in 1924. He came to Canada over 40 years ago and has worked as a chef, a teacher and a banker. Chan is a client of the Homemakers and Nurses Services program, receiving support so he can continue to live at home with his wife. They have three children, two daughters and a son, and although he stays home most of the time, Chan still enjoys occasional outings with his grandson and maintains hobbies including singing and playing the piano.
Last year, Chan had a big family celebration for his 100 birthday!
John Dekum was born in Romania in October 1924 and immigrated to Canada as a boy. He worked as a draftsman and, together with his late wife, led a vibrant and active life, raising two daughters. The family enjoyed traveling through Europe, camping and taking memorable road trips across Canada.
Now 100 years old, John has been a part of the Kipling Acres community since the new North Building opened and he became the very first resident in May 2015.
John was an avid sportsman, playing golf, badminton, and a proud member of a local bowling team. John has a loving and musically talented family. His favourite activities at the long-term care home include listening to music, participating in sing-alongs, and enjoying time with his family, including his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and fellow residents in the lounge area.
Madeline Dipiero recently celebrated her 105 birthday at Kipling Acres, where she has been a resident since 2016.
She still misses and talks about her dear husband who passed away 22 years ago. She has two caring daughters, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She was a knitter, a crocheter, and a fiber artist. She worked at Simpsons department store and volunteered for many years helping seniors make arts and crafts. At the long-term care home, she is a social butterfly, talking, laughing and sharing memories with residents and staff members. She also enjoys participating in different programs such as live music concerts, arts and crafts, the exercise program, spiritual and social activities.
Anna Farkas is a 103-year-old resident who lives at Cummer Lodge. She lost her first husband at Auschwitz, then moved to Canada from Hungary with her parents and four sisters. She worked in a factory making women’s clothes. She remarried and has a son and three grandchildren.
Anna enjoys participating in music programming and socializing with other residents.
Joyce Forrester is 103 years old. She was born in London, England and served in the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) during World War II.
She married Royal Air Force Flying Officer C. Phillip Forrester. They had two children — a son born in England and a daughter born here after they had moved to Canada. Joyce worked for several years at the Ontario Ministry of Labour and loved to travel to Greece, Spain, Hawaii, Ireland and of course, England.
As a resident at Bendale Acres, Joyce enjoys time with other residents and loves to people watch and sit in the garden.
Halina is a 102-year-old resident at Cummer Lodge. Born in Poland, she studied entomology (the study of insects) with a specialization in honeybees. She has a PhD and was a professor who wrote several scholarly books and articles.
Halina has one daughter, two granddaughters and four great-grandchildren. She is widowed and says that if she was able to pick again, she would choose her beloved husband, Andre.
Halina speaks Polish, English and German. She enjoys reading, the company of others, and is often visited by her daughter.
Kui Yeun Gu, born in December 1923, is 101 years of age, and has lived at Castleview Wychwood Towers since 2018.
Originally from South Korea, she lived in Japan during World War II and speaks Japanese and Korean. She worked in the restaurat industry, including the Princess Hotel in Seoul. Her husband passed away when he was in his forties. As a single mother she worked hard to support her children (three sons and a daughter) to reach high levels of education. She is very proud of her children, especially the retired pastor in Canada and the professor in South Korea.
Her favourite activities at the long-term care home are participating in Korean Worship Service, Hymn Sing and watching Korean television with fellow residents. Her secret to a long life is to have faith, let God take care of all your adversities and to live your life well.
Sueko “Sue” Ikebuchi, now 100, was born and raised in Vancouver with her six siblings. She has fond memories of helping her father in the grocery store he owned on Powell Street, and of learning Japanese dance.
During World War II, Sue and her family were forcibly placed into internment camps along with many other Japanese Canadians, and were later relocated by the government, landing first in Montreal, and then later in Toronto.
Sue was married to her husband Jack for over 50 years and has one daughter. Sue is very active at Fudger House, where she has lived since 2021, enjoying card games, music, art, dancing and walking.
Mary Jawtuchowicz (nee Petryk) was born in Poland in November 1924. Her family emigrated to Montreal when she was a child. At the age of 12, her mother passed away and her father’s health was failing. With the help of a neighbour, Mary raised her three younger brothers and completed her high school education with support from ladies at her church.
She met and married Eugene who had escaped the ravages of World War II. Together they helped countless war refugees get established in Canada, finding them jobs, providing shelter and meals. Mary perfected Polish culinary delights such as cabbage rolls, perogies, borscht and pies and is the mother of four children. She speaks five languages – English, French, Russian, Polish and Ukrainian.
Mary worked at Simpsons department store and then the Hudson’s Bay Company until she retired at the age of 70. Mary’s faith is very important to her and at Lakeshore Lodge she enjoys attending Hymn Sing and spiritual services.
Dorothy Lien is 101 years old and has lived at Castleview Wychwood Towers since May 2024. Married to Gundar, they have three children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Dorothy was born in Illinois and moved to Canada at the age of 50. She worked as a secretary and played piano in her church for many years. Her favourite activities at the long-term care home are bingo, special events and pet therapy visits.
Genevieve Liguckatie was born in November 1924, in Lithuania. A retired beautician, Genevieve has always had a flair for style and elegance and brings a warm, friendly presence to everyone around her. Genevieve was married and is also a proud companion to her cat, Minky. She’s a cat lover who also enjoys visits from dogs.
Since 2019, Genevieve has lived at Bendale Acres, where she continues to embrace life with joy and energy. She enjoys choosing her own activities, especially exercise, relaxing spa sessions and ballroom dancing. Genevieve has a deep appreciation for music and loves listening to the timeless voices of Perry Como, Dean Martin and Mel Tormé.
Dorothea Vera Manfredo was born in Beamsville, Ontario (Lincoln County) in April, 1925. She grew up in the east end of Toronto, where her father ran a car dealership. She was the oldest of three sisters and her mother taught her to make the best butter tarts. She has fond memories of summers spent at her grandfather’s fruit farm near Hamilton.
Dorothea married in 1947 to a returning RCAF World War II radioman and they made their life in Toronto and had three children. While her husband ran a hardware store and boat rental, Dorothea went to work as a secretary at Maple Leaf Mills. In her younger years, Dorothy enjoyed roller skating at The Terrace and later in life, line dancing when she retired and moved to Huntsville.
She has lived at Lakeshore Lodge since 2017 and one of her favourite activities is having formal teatime with fellow residents.
Mary Matsui is 100 years old and was born in Canada to Japanese parents. After the passing of her spouse, she moved to Castleview Wychwood Towers, and in 2021, she transferred to Kipling Acres.
Mary has a large and loving family, including five children, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. During the Second World War, she served as an intern nurse aide. Mary enjoys a variety of activities at the long-term care home, such as playing cards, participating in bingo and board games, joining the exercise group for workouts and listening to music.
Pei Lan Mei was born in 1923 and celebrated her 101 birthday in December 2024.
She grew up in China as a rice farmer, taking care of five children. Sadly, she lost one son and one daughter to starvation during China’s cultural revolution. She lives in Toronto and receives support from the City’s Homemakers and Nurses Services program to safely age in her own home.
Mei loves to sing Taishanese folk music and does embroidery and beading on garments. She has 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren and always reminds them to keep doing what they love to do, to never give up, and to be thankful, every day.
Sylvia “Amabelle” Nanton is 101 years old and moved into Wesburn Manor two years ago. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, she assisted her husband with a few different family businesses they owned and raised two daughters. She has six grandchildren. She has fond memories of their family holidays together, before her husband passed.
Amabelle is an active member of the Residents’ Council and some of her favourite activities in the long-term care home are bingo, exercise class, scrabble, playing cards (especially euchre and rummy), going on outings and trips with her fellow residents, attending special events and gardening.
Binh Van Ngu was born in China and came to Canada with her family in 1984. She is a mother to seven children and owned a restaurant in Toronto.
Binh Van Ngu values family and hard work. Her family remain close and are an important part of her life, and have been supportive since she moved to Fudger House in 2023. She enjoys socializing with other Cantonese-speaking residents.
Binh is 100 years old.
Inez Verwayen was born in Guyana in 1923. She married and had three children, coming to Canada at the age of 65 to help care for her grandchildren. A very hard-working woman, housewife, seamstress and farmer, she is a devoted Christian who reads the Bible every day.
Inez has been a resident at Bendale Acres since 2019. She likes to have everything in order, including her wardrobe and clothes. She will tell you that she doesn’t like to eat meat but enjoys fish very much.
Inez will be turning 102 years old this month!
Byung Yun Won is 105 years of age. Born in South Korea, her family were farmers and when she moved to Canada, she took work as a houseworker to support herself. A widow she has two sons, five daughters and 22 grandchildren. She offers honest gratitude for her life, admitting that after the age of 90 years, you lose most of your friends and it can sometimes feel lonely as a centenarian. She is grateful to live with many other Korean residents at Castleview Wychwood Towers, her home since 2022, where she participates in resident parties, music, worship services and watching Korean television programs.
Born in China in January 1925, Hong Ying Wong is now a proud Canadian, who lives her life with love, faith and family.
Fluent in Cantonese and the Hakka dialect, she is widowed and a full-time homemaker. She is a devoted mother of two sons and two daughters, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. At Cummer Lodge she enjoys visits from loved ones, watches television, listens to music and attends many social events with other residents.
A dedicated Catholic, Hong Ying Wong has spent countless hours in prayer and attending church, drawing strength and peace from her faith.