The extended family and many friends of Lillian Mason, joined together at the Lockerby Legion Saturday afternoon, to celebrate the Sudbury resident's 100th birthday.
Her son Jim Mason chose the Legion as it has been a constant in his mother's life over the years, as her father served in the First World War and her brother in the Second. It turned out to be the perfect place for Lillian's loved ones to gather in celebration of a century well-lived.
The afternoon included a speech from her son Jim Mason, cake, presents and a special card from presidents of Molson Canadian and the Beer Store. Lillian wouldn't say that Molson Ex is the secret to her long life, but the long-standing joke that it is shows that with a loving family and a sense of humour, life is easy.
Lillian was born July 14, 1919, to George and Maggie Leach, in a small English village known as Irwell Vale. She moved to Cape Breton Island, N.S. with her family when she was six months old for a short while, before returning to England with her mother for the birth of her brother Kenneth.
The three returned to Canada around five years later, where her mother gave birth to Lillian's younger siblings Allen and Margaret. Margaret was present for this weekend's celebration.
A short while after returning to Canada, Lillian and her family moved to Levack, where her father landed a job in the mining industry. Lillian said her mother was very happy in Levack, due in part to the community's diverse cultural makeup.
Moving to Sudbury's inner city with her family a few years later, Lillian attended Lansdowne Public School and after graduation began work at Woolworth's Department Store and later, at Laura Secord's.
Lillian married the late Merle Ernest Robert Mason April 30, 1942, who remains the love of her life even after 77 years. The couple had five sons; Robert Rand, Richard Brent, Wayne Scott, David Bruce and Michael James, who Lillian lovingly referred to as the "terrors" of their neighbourhood.
Since then, Lillian has celebrated the birth of 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, with whom she spends the majority of her time today.
Sometime after the birth of their sons, the couple built the first of many properties to be constructed along Fairbank Lake by Lillian's extended family.
Jim said that this, and the family's home on Howey Drive, became a safe haven for the many neighbourhood kids the family opened their arms to over the years.
"That was always a place that people would come to meet and enjoy," said Jim. "She was always welcoming to whoever came to the door."
After her boys moved on to raise families of their own, Lillian worked as a school crossing guard for the City of Greater Sudbury for 25 years. She was often accompanied by her cocker spaniel Dodie.
"She was loved by every kid she crossed," said Jim.
Lillian got her driver's licence at the age of 65 after her husband's passing in 1984, to maintain her independence, and to continue visiting the family's log cabin. She kept her licence until she was 95.
One "tough, young lady," as her son Jim describes, Lillian lives in her own home to this day, quite independent and ready to share stories of her long, beautiful life. Jim said he could not be more grateful for this.
"Usually when you're celebrating someone's 100th birthday you're celebrating in a retirement home or a nursing home," said Jim, "(but this is a) social environment where she has all her wits about her, a cold glass of Molson Ex in front of her, and she'll regale everyone in a story, and that's a beautiful thing."
Happy birthday Lillian from all of us at Sudbury.com.
