Zelda McCague
Encyclopedia
Zelda McCague was recognized as the oldest living Canadian and one of the oldest people in the world whose age has been verified.
The long-time resident of Beeton
, 40 kilometres north of Toronto
, once attributed her longevity to eating small meals and abstaining from alcohol and cigarettes.
Her grandson, Paul McCague, a Toronto lawyer, said it had a lot to do with leading a good life and good genes. Grandma just lived a very clean, God-fearing life ... [S]he worked hard when she was young. She hardly ever went to the doctor, she was never on any medication.
Zelda Viola Strongman was born one of six children born in a log cabin on the family farm, near Alliston, Ontario
. She was entitled to draw a pension in 1958, at the then-pensionable age of 70.
In 1907, she married local farmer William McCague. Together, they farmed for many years. William McCague died in 1940 at the age of 61. His wife, who was 52 at the time, never remarried.
She had a hard time during the Depression as all farmers did ... [Y]ou can't say that she didn't have stress in her life because she certainly did, added her grandson. She lived through a lot. She remembered the first car. When she got her first car, they bought it out of a Sears catalogue. She lived through the First World War and was afraid of losing her husband.
Although McCague was believed to be one of the oldest women alive, she was not in the Guinness Book of Records because she had no birth certificate. However her age has been conclusively proved by other documents. As McCague turned 113, however, the official record holder – according to Guinness – was Marie Brémont
of France, who celebrated her 115th birthday in April.
McCague outlived two of her four children, dying in her sleep of natural causes on August 6, 2001, aged 113 years 131 days.
The long-time resident of Beeton
Beeton, Ontario
Beeton is a small town located in southern Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada between Tottenham and Alliston; all three were amalgamated in 1991 into the single Town of New Tecumseth....
, 40 kilometres north of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, once attributed her longevity to eating small meals and abstaining from alcohol and cigarettes.
Her grandson, Paul McCague, a Toronto lawyer, said it had a lot to do with leading a good life and good genes. Grandma just lived a very clean, God-fearing life ... [S]he worked hard when she was young. She hardly ever went to the doctor, she was never on any medication.
Zelda Viola Strongman was born one of six children born in a log cabin on the family farm, near Alliston, Ontario
Alliston, Ontario
Alliston is a settlement in Simcoe County in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of the Town of New Tecumseth since the 1991 amalgamation of Alliston and nearby villages of Beeton, Tottenham, and the Township of Tecumseth...
. She was entitled to draw a pension in 1958, at the then-pensionable age of 70.
In 1907, she married local farmer William McCague. Together, they farmed for many years. William McCague died in 1940 at the age of 61. His wife, who was 52 at the time, never remarried.
She had a hard time during the Depression as all farmers did ... [Y]ou can't say that she didn't have stress in her life because she certainly did, added her grandson. She lived through a lot. She remembered the first car. When she got her first car, they bought it out of a Sears catalogue. She lived through the First World War and was afraid of losing her husband.
Although McCague was believed to be one of the oldest women alive, she was not in the Guinness Book of Records because she had no birth certificate. However her age has been conclusively proved by other documents. As McCague turned 113, however, the official record holder – according to Guinness – was Marie Brémont
Marie Brémont
Marie Marthe Augustine Lemaitre Brémont was a French supercentenarian and the oldest recognized person in the world from November 2000 until her death. This means she was the oldest living person at the turn of the century, and the new millenium, and therefore the person with the earliest...
of France, who celebrated her 115th birthday in April.
McCague outlived two of her four children, dying in her sleep of natural causes on August 6, 2001, aged 113 years 131 days.
Quotes
- Can you imagine being 92 and visiting your mother? [Aunt] Freda and Dad used to do that. (Paul McCague, grandson)
- We were on the farm and Grandma would sit on the rocking chair in the corner, and I would sit in the dining room table, doing my [law school] studies ... she'd get the paper to read it, but she was so kind and so considerate that she would be so quiet. When she'd open the paper, she would open it so slowly so the pages would not crumble – that's what she was like. (Paul McCague)
- She never had a cross word to say about anyone. My grandma always felt that if you couldn't say something good about somebody, then don't say anything about them at all. She lived by that. (Paul McCague)
External links
- http://www.thestar.com/Obituary/HtoM/article/108440
- http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3543/is_200109/ai_n8359268