Last month, Tudor Manor had a celebration few get to experience.
 
Ethel Markstrom celebrated her 103rd birthday on May 22. Markstrom is Tudor’s oldest resident and is one of three centenarians residing at the manor.
  
We wanted to reach out to celebrate her accomplishment and ask a little about her life. With the help from her daughter, Carol, we got to learn a bit about her amazing life!
 
Tell us a little about where you are from:
I was born in Brockington, Saskatchewan at home on the farm in 1918. After living and raising a family in Edmonton, my husband and I retired in Calgary. I moved to Tudor Manor in Okotoks at 94-years-old.
 
You've seen a lot! What's the biggest change you have seen?
Smaller families. Also, women are far more independent today with more choices. The type of work women used to do was so different - we didn’t have the education or the opportunity. I left school in Grade 8 to work on the farm, was a live-in housekeeper, a housewife and partner with my husband as a small home builder in Edmonton.
 
What does a typical day look like these days?
I watch the little children at the playground and enjoy the beautiful mountain view from my window.
 
Advice for a young person growing up?
Get as much education as you can.
 
Any tips on love?
Not to get too serious too soon.
 
Is there anything you never got around to doing?
Getting more education. I wanted to be a teacher.
 
Favourite hobby then and now:
My favourite hobbies, were horseback riding, gardening and travelling. At 103, I enjoy reading cowboy magazines and watching old western movies.
 
P.s. - Looking at Statistics Canada, we now have a record 11,000 centenarians in Canada! 11,517 people older than 100, to be exact. Most of Canada’s centenarians are women (over 80 per cent).
  
Looking forward to celebrating 104 with you, Ethel!
 
-Logan