‘Just maintain busy,’ advises Sask.’s latest centenarian

Turning 100 has Mildred “Blondie” Siegel reflecting on how fortunate she is.

“Sort of confused, wondering how I got here, but the good Lord’s been good to me,” Siegel stated in a current interview at her house in Lanigan, Sask.

She nonetheless lives in the identical white bungalow she moved into in 1979 along with her husband Herb, who died in 2000.

She’s had two hip surgical procedures and remains to be in a position to stroll with a cane.

She makes her personal mattress each morning and cooks meals dropped at her by her youngsters and others. She stop driving on the age of 95 after dropping one in all her eyes to an an infection.

Her reminiscence remains to be sharp. She may even recite the exact day she joined the Lutheran Church: Aug. 18, 1946.

Living on her personal at 100

“She changes her bed and does her own laundry and washing her sheets. I get exhausted doing that. I don’t know how she does it at 100,” said Bettyann Cox, one of her daughters.

Beverly Pavelich, another daughter, said Siegel still likes to do her own gardening, a hobby she took up at the farm, where she had a giant garden with large yellow potatoes and other vegetables.

Siegel was born on Feb. 5, 1926 in Weldon, Sask., as Mildred Lillian Richardson. During the Second World War, she worked as a telephone operator. She was not allowed to give out her real name to servicemen, so she went by “Blondie,” and the nickname stuck.

In 1945, she arrived in Lanigan, expecting a short stay.

“Here I’m about 80 years later, nonetheless right here,” she said.

On Halloween in 1945, she married Herb, her favourite dancing partner and best friend.

On their farm, she had many animals, including ducks.

“The geese, they have soiled habits at harvest time. They’d get within the incorrect place and my husband could be so mad. And so the one fall he made me kill all these 12 geese and that was the top of my geese,” she laughed.

The Siegels raised five daughters on the farm until they moved to town.

Her tip for living a fulfilling life is simple enough: “Just maintain busy,” she said.

She believes her faith in God has played a role in her long life.

“It’s the great Lord that is saved me wholesome, so it is bought nothing to do with me,” she said.

She remembers feeling low after the loss of her eye, which resulted in the loss of her driver’s licence.

“[The doctor] stated, ‘Oh my pricey, that is stitched shut for the remainder of your life,'” Siegel recalled, joking that she almost slapped him after he told her the eye was gone.

“Fortunately we had an excellent minister and he had speak with me and he stated, ‘Blondie you have bought one actually good eye’ … and he stated, ‘On prime of that, you have bought your reminiscence and your mind is working.’ So he stated, ‘You are significantly better than lots of people youthful than you had been,'” Siegel said.

Active lifestyle was a must

She has been heavily involved in the Lanigan community ever since her arrival.

If she can get a ride, she goes to church every Sunday. She has also sung in the church choir, served on the church council, led Sunday school classes, was involved with building the town’s first hospital auxiliary, and helped turn the old train station into the Lanigan and District Heritage Centre.

Along with Herb, she taught dancing lessons to Grade 12 students.

“Just about everything, I had my nose stuck in it,” she stated.

Siegel additionally labored as a geriatric aide till she retired at age 65.

“Mom stayed really, really active volunteering. And well into her 90s, she was delivering Meals on Wheels to seniors,” Cox stated.

In 2002, then-lieutenant-governor Linda Haverstock offered Siegel with the Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal for her volunteer efforts.

She loves baking candy treats to share with family and friends.

“Nobody could make an apple pie like Mama could, and her buns are incredible,” Pavelich stated.

She loves watching curling and soccer. She additionally likes to crochet, making a number of dish towels and scrubbers.

Having a household that cares is significant

Siegel is surrounded by her 4 surviving daughters and quite a few grand- and great-grandchildren.

Pavelich and Cox relish the time they’ve had with their mom.

“I think we realize how truly blessed we are. Most of our friends do not have a parent still alive, but you know, this age of their life — and so to still be able to celebrate Christmas and Mother’s Day together is just a true blessing,” Pavelich stated.

Cox, who lives in Regina, enjoys taking Blondie out to church and different occasions.

“The people make such a fuss over seeing her, it’s so wonderful … It’s just really heartwarming,” Cox stated.

Siegel’s centennial celebration has been organized for Feb. 7 on the Trinity Lutheran Church in Lanigan.

She plans to mark the event with a number of cups of tea and a few good dialog.

She stated she wouldn’t have gotten right here with out the numerous family and friends in her life.