TORONTO – There’s a quiet acceptance at The Village of Humber Heights retirement home in Toronto: those who move in might not end up staying very long. Marie Rosa knows that better than anyone. As someone who believes every single moment matters, she’s mustered all her energy to take part in the celebration of a lifetime. We’ll get to that in a moment. But to appreciate who she is, and what she’s lived through, you have to know a bit about her life. Marie was born Sept. 17, 1915, at a time when Canadian women did not even have the right to vote. She lived through the First World War and served as both a seamstress and forewoman during the Second World War. In between, her teens were spent during the Great Depression, a period of global economic upheaval and turbulence, which her daughter, Cathie Sinisalo, says taught her a valuable lesson that was passed down to her. “Not wasting a thing. Like you scrape the butter off the paper, you don’t just wrap it and throw it away,” Cathie said. Marie has lived through 17 prime ministers, three bouts of COVID-19, and far too much loss, perhaps the burden one is forced to pay for a long life. In May, her sister Virginia Del Brocco – who lived at the same retirement home – died at a 103. But the weight of grief hasn’t taken away Marie’s ability to see joy. Even though doesn’t say much these days, she somehow finds a way to speak with her bright eyes. They lit up when I asked her to talk about the freedom she felt by hitting the road. “We would drop my dad off at work at the post office,” Cathie said. “Then we’d take the car and visit an aunt or a sister or something.” Cathie turned to her mother and asked: “You enjoyed driving when you could, right? Yeah!” with Marie nodding in agreement. Her other source of joy? Fashion. “She wouldn’t buy many clothes, but she loved it,” Cathie shared. Marie still does, as wanting to look great hasn’t changed over the decades. On the day we visited her, she was getting her hair done for a big occasion, which brings us back to the celebration: a party, attended by seniors, staff and dignitaries, to officially recognize Marie as Canada’s oldest living person. The moment was even marked by the passing down of a crown created by the family of the man who last carried that title: Burdett “Burd” Sisler, who died in April at 110. Burd’s son says his dad shared Marie’s commitment to making things count. “They’re the ones that straightened nails and used them again. You didn’t waste any of that,” Norm Sisler said. When someone you love has lived this long, watching them slowly slip away is harder. Time is a thief, but it also gives: in bonds, in memories, in connections. “I’m losing her a bit, a bit at a time,” Cathie told me. “That hurts.” “Have you told her everything you want to say?” I asked her. “I think so. I think I have done that.” Marie nods her head up and down again, showing the kind of maternal validation everyone needs from time to time. Even if you’re her 71-year-old daughter. Behind her is Cathie’s grandson, Mason Sinisalo, and her son, Dave Sinisalo. “Being able to learn and just understand the value of family and love and cherish that I think is incredible,” Dave said. Values that now bind four generations. But what’s the ultimate secret that’s kept Marie going? Cathie doesn’t hesitate to answer. “She always tells people when she’s talking to them that you’ve got to love everybody, right? You love everybody. Everybody is precious, right mom? You love everybody, and they love you.” It’s the kind of love that will clearly endure. If you want to tell us about an extraordinary person, email us at assignmentcanada@bellmedia.ca
