97-year-old competitive horseshoe player captured emotional moments on camera during Second World War
According to the message embroidered on Bob Curtis' ball cap, "It took (him) 97 years to look this good."
But this is a story about how Bob feels so “great” at his age.
It included Bob driving himself in his purple pickup truck, at least twice a week, to go play horseshoes.
“Oh yeah!” Bob laughs. “I love horseshoes!”
The 97-year-old’s been told he’s the oldest competitive horseshoe league player in the country.
“Wherever there’s a tournament, I go in it,” Bob smiles.
“I can hold my own,” he adds, though he’s too humble to show all the hardware he takes home.
Perhaps that’s the same confidence that inspired his teenage self to volunteer for the Air Force when Canada joined the Second World War.
He wasn’t expecting to have to wait so long when he got to the recruitment office.
“I waited, but then I told them, ‘You’ve had your chance!’” Bob says. “And I walked across the road [to the naval recruitment office] and the Navy took me right away!”
Two days later Bob was sent to training, before serving around the Atlantic during the Second World War.
“That’s the ship I was on,” Bob says, pointing to one of the countless black and white photographs he took during his service.
Bob also shows the special licence he was issued to take pictures on board, before flipping through an album of photographs, ranging from depth-charges going off at sea to huge waves crashing over the bow.
Bob also took pictures of the friends he made, before capturing the burials at sea for the ones he lost.
After three years around the Atlantic, Bob was set to sail across the Pacific to Japan, until the bomb in Hiroshima changed everything, and the war ended shortly after.
“I’m one of the lucky ones,” Bob says. “I got back home.”
And every day since, Bob’s felt grateful that he was lucky enough to marry the love of his life.
After being married to Ellie for 67 years, raising two children, and relishing four grandchildren, Bob has no doubt what they spent the war fighting for.
“It’s family,” Bob says. “You've got to look after each other.”
Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why Ellie gave Bob that baseball cap before she died. It originally said: "It took me 90 years to look this good."
It’s a reminder that — no matter what your age — you feel so great when you surround yourself with love.
Perhaps that’s why, for the past seven years, Bob’s been paying to update the embroidery on the cap every year, to keep the age current.
“The girl who does it says, 'When you turn 100, you get it done for free!'”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Manitoba mom praises quick-thinking fire department for freeing daughter stuck in playground equipment
A Manitoba mother is praising firefighters for their quick work in helping her daughter who got stuck at a playground in Lorette, Man.