Jessica Church celebrated her 100th birthday on Wednesday Dec. 11 at Buttertubs Place in Nanaimo surrounded by her friends and family. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

100TH BIRTHDAY

100-years-young: Nanaimo woman reflects on lifetime of change

Dec 14, 2019 | 11:46 PM

NANAIMO — A world war, a trans-Atlantic move and finally settling on Vancouver Island — Jessica Church has seen a significant amount of change over the last century.

Church celebrated her 100th birthday at Buttertubs Place in Nanaimo Wednesday Dec. 11, marking 100 years of watching the world change.

Church is the eldest of four living sisters aged between 87 and 98 and aside from good genetics, she attributes her longevity to a clean lifestyle.

“Good living, I don’t smoke, I’ve never smoked. I don’t drink. I’m still in pretty good shape,” Church said.

Church was born in England and grew up in post-war London. As a child, she took to the water early.

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“I was a swimmer,” Church said. “I had a chance to train for the 1940 Olympic team but the war came along and they cancelled everything so that was the end of that.”

She worked at Cambridge University during the second world war as a stenographer and met her future husband Harry, a Canadian soldier.

Church received a letter from Queen Elizabeth II, along with messages from the Minister of Defence and Governor General of Canada in recognition of her 100th birthday. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Harry returned to Canada in 1944, while Jessica followed two years later. The pair built a life in Thunder Bay Ont, before moving out west to Vancouver, Victoria and finally Parksville.

“(Thunder Bay) was too darn cold so I said to my husband that we have to move down the coast…it’s like English weather,” Church said.

The two raised five children, a daughter and four sons. Church also worked for the Canadian government in a security and investigative role.

Church said the world has immeasurably changed in her time and was at wonder about the development of technology.

“When we were in England when I was growing up, all we had was a radio, nothing else. No TV, no computers, no nothing…just a radio,” Church said.

Church is a 17-year resident of Buttertubs Place and spends her time painting flowers and gardening.

She added the simplest advice she can give on living life to its fullest was to “take it easy, take things in stride and don’t get upset.”

alex.rawnsley@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley