Brandon woman celebrates 112th birthday

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This article was published 08/02/2024 (620 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Titanic struck an iceberg off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, Manitoba expanded its territory to the north, the first Calgary Stampede was held and a tornado that tore through Regina killed 28 people.

The year was 1912 — and it was also the year that Brandon resident Hazel Skuce was born.

On Wednesday afternoon, Skuce celebrated her 112th birthday at Hillcrest Place Personal Care Home.

Skuce is the oldest living person in Manitoba and the third oldest in Canada.

Residents and workers at the home gathered around the lobby and sang “Happy Birthday” as Skuce was brought into the room in a wheelchair.

A cake was brought out and though she stayed quiet, Skuce gave a slight smile as she was given cards and a potted succulent as a gift. Another round of “Happy Birthday” followed.

“She’s a lovely lady, she’s sweet,” Hillcrest Place administrator John Szabo told the Sun. “She’s loved by everybody in the building.”

Skuce was born on Feb. 7, 1912 as Hazel Georgina Short in Blanshard Municipality (now the Rural Municipality of Oakview). She had one brother, Lawrence, and two sisters, Muriel and Clara. All of her siblings predeceased her — although Clara rivalled her for longevity, dying in 2022 at the age of 108.

They were one of the oldest sibling pairs in history.

Skuce worked as a teacher in country schools and in schools around Brandon.

“Yes, I enjoyed my work, but I just wondered if I was doing a decent job,” she told the Sun in 2019.

She was married twice, first to Richard Patmore, who died in 1979, and then to John Skuce, who died in 1999. She didn’t have any children of her own.

Kathryn Hyndman, a relative of Skuce, and Hyndman’s husband were at the birthday party and told the Sun that Skuce was very close to her sister Clara. Now Skuce struggles with her hearing, and doesn’t remember Hyndman from visit to visit, but still, she said, Skuce has always been quiet.

“She’s very well liked and nice,” Hyndman said.

Szabo told the Sun that Skuce has been at Hillcrest since 2013 and gets her hair cut every week at the home. Skuce got a perm the morning before the birthday celebrations, he said.

Skuce was a member of the local naturalist society and loved birds. She still enjoys birdwatching as one of the activities put on by Hillcrest Place. The home’s staff say that Skuce also enjoys bowling and can throw the bowling ball from her wheelchair.

Dr. Mary Egan, a retired physician, sat with Skuce and wished her a happy birthday. She said her oldest patient when she was practising was 108. She used to tease Skuce about her being the reason the Titanic sank, since she was born two months before the legendary ocean liner struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage.

“We thought that was very funny,” she said.

» gmortfield@brandonsun.com

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