'Trust in the Lord and keep your bowels moving': Sask. senior has sage advice on 109th birthday
For Alma Miller, 108 was a lockdown birthday, but on Wednesday she marked her 109th year with family.
To celebrate the milestone, the former Grade 2 teacher’s daughter LaVonne Graham and Centennial Special Care Home, where Miller lives in Langenburg, planned a parade.
Seventeen cars and a firetruck drove past Miller and her daughter, waving and dropping off cards.
Alma Miller's daughter organized a parade for her 109th birthday. (Kaylyn Whibbs/CTV News)
"It's so heartfelt,” said Carol Schaab, recreation director at the centre. “Last year was a really tough, tough year and she's just shining today."
Graham was happy to be able to celebrate with her mom and a few other family members this year. After the parade, the family was able to gather outdoors for a lunch with Miller's favourite summer sausage.
"For this occasion, we value it because we get to visit catch up on news, of our families and what our children are doing, grandchildren," said Graham.
The milestone is one Miller said comes once in a lifetime. Those close to her say she still has her edge, even with 109 years under her belt.
"Her tenacity and her love for life is just incredible," said Schaab, adding she was the first one to roll a ball down the lane at the new bowling alley in town.
Miller said her secret to a long life may be surprising.
“…Trust in the Lord and keep your bowels moving," she said.
Miller still has a love for chocolate and beer, which her family says may also be part of the secret.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.