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North Bay resident, Canada's oldest person, is turning 112 this week

Dolly Gibb, formerly of Thunder Bay, will celebrate another birthday as Canada's oldest citizen.

A woman with roots in Thunder Bay, and believed to be Canada's oldest living person, will celebrate her 112th birthday on Wednesday.

Ellen "Dolly" Gibb spent 64 years of her life in Thunder Bay before moving to North Bay to live with her daughter and son-in-law in 2005.

She was born in Winnipeg in 1905.

The Gerontology Research Group has validated Gibb's status as the country's oldest citizen.

Her family says she was given the nickname Dolly in her late teens for her fashion sense. She worked at Eaton's in Winnipeg creating fashion accessories but was forced to leave the company when she got married in 1928, as Eaton's didn't employ married women at the time.

In  1941, Gibb and her husband Dave moved with their two daughters to the Lakehead, where Dave joined Canada's war effort at Canada Car, helping to build airplanes.

He passed away in 1968, leaving Gibb to live on her own in their Gore Street home until she turned 100.

Today she uses a wheelchair but her family says that she otherwise enjoys good health and has a sharp mind.

Her daily ritual includes watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.

Gibb's family attributes her longevity to genetics and eating well in moderation. When she's asked about her secret, she shrugs her shoulder and says "I don't know...I can't help it...I will have to take what God gives me."

According to her family, she didn't smoke or drink until her seventies, when she started enjoying the occasional glass of Scotch. 

She's recently taken to having a daily bottle of beer, noting with a chuckle that her boyfriend's name is "Bud.....Bud Weiser." 

Gibb has 9 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and 10 great-great grandchildren.


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Gary Rinne

About the Author: Gary Rinne

Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Gary started part-time at Tbnewswatch in 2016 after retiring from the CBC
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