Loyola Van Der Haegen turned 100 years old on Nov. 13, 2013.
Her family and friends gathered with her at the Gold Ridge Centre Saturday.
Born south of Denholm, Loyola went on to be not only one of the oldest, but longest living residents of Maymont. Today, she lives in seniors' housing in North Battleford.
From her family, following is a look at her life story:
She can still walk, talk, laugh, knit, play a mean game of cribbage and has a fabulous memory, She drove and lived on her own until 1993 after her husband, Maurice, died in 1982.
Every child, grandchild and most of her great-grandchildren have a quilt made by her.
Loyola is a very happy person and that is the secret of living a long life - being happy.
Loyola was one of seven children born to Winifred and Samuel Bolan.
Life was not easy for nine people in a four-room house (power and running water did not happen for another 20 years). Bringing in snow to melt for water in the winter, hauling water with a horse and stone boat in the summer, chopping wood and helping raise the younger children was all part of growing up.
School started at Harringay, a one-room school south of Denholm, then to Denholm and on to Battleford and then back to Harringay until Grade 10 when she had to quit school and take care of the family after her mother died. She was 13.
Loyola met Maurice Pierre Van Der Haegen when she was 16. She thought he was OK. They were married on June 3, 1937 when she was 23. They married during one of the worst dust storms of the Dirty '30s in the Great Depression.
The first of their four children, Pauline (Poppy as Dad called her), was born on their first anniversary, closely followed by Jim, Eugene and a little later Dennis. These children went on to produce 13 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren with more to come.
After four months on the farm, they moved to Denholm and eight years later to Maymont where Maurice and Loyola raised their family.
Loyola loved to garden, read, knit, quilt, bake and love her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is the matriarch of the family, relatives and extended family. Through good times and bad, she is the glue.
What a complete life, and it still goes on! What can you say about a lady who has done all this except that, this is love.
