On Thursday, Oct. 25, Mary Foote will achieve a remarkable milestone.
That’s the day, the Langley great grandmother will celebrate her 103rd birthday.
“It’s not the age, it’s the attitude,” said Mrs. Foote of the outlook that has brought her to this point in her life, where she remains vibrant and active.
Times readers may recognize Mary Foote’s name from stories the paper has published about the annual Gutsy Walk in support of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada.
She has been a regular participant in the annual Langley walk, held on the first Sunday in June.
In fact, her family believes she has been the oldest Canadian participant while walking at the ages of 99, 100, 101 and 102.
This past June, she took part despite having fractured her ribs the previous autumn and undergoing hip surgery earlier in the spring.
Each year, she walks in loving support of her granddaughter and great niece.
Mrs. Foote was born Mary Hughes on Oct. 25, 1915, on Moore’s Meadow, Fort George (now Prince George).
Raised with an older brother, Bill, and younger sister, Elizabeth, Mary and her family lived near Prince George until 1934, when they moved to the Wells/Barkerville area.
There, Mary helped run the family’s general store, C.H. Hughes & Son, selling supplies to miners hoping to strike it rich at Barkerville.
She still has the scales she used to accept gold dust and nuggets as payment.
While living up north, she met and married Bill Davies. After the Cariboo Gold Quartz and Island Mountain mines became depleted and the miners left, the couple moved south to Aldergrove, where they farmed until Bill passed away in November, 1966.
Mary remained involved with such community groups and organizations as the Aldergrove United Church, royal Purple and her daughter Edith’s school life.
In 1967, she sold the farm and moved to White Rock to care for her own mother. In 1972 she married Darrel Foote and the couple retired to Qualicum.
By 1995 she returned to Langley to be closer to her daughter, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Last month, she moved into the Lions Society’s assisted living complex at Evergreen Timbers, where she has joined friends and become involved in many social activities.