Ottawa woman says a simple rule helped get her to 103 years old

Margaret Hope celebrated her 103rd birthday with family and friends at an Ottawa retirement home, sharing advice for a long life. CTV’s Leah Larocque reports.

At 103 years old, Margaret Hope says she feels decades younger.

Friends, family and fellow residents gathered at Waterford Retirement Community to celebrate Hope’s milestone birthday with tea, cake and plenty of laughter.

“I am 103,” Hope said with a smile. “I feel about 45.”

The celebration included flowers, stories and even a limerick poem honouring a woman loved for her kindness, resilience and positivity.

Margaret’s friend read the poem to the guests:

Our love for Margaret is great,

Though she tends to exaggerate.

As anyone can see,

She’s not 103,

She’s a lovely and spirited 78!

Born in Sussex, England on May 26, 1923, Hope travelled across the Atlantic Ocean on the RMS Aquitania in 1946. She arrived at Pier 21 in Halifax — a moment she still remembers clearly.

“I came alone and I was a bit scared when I got here, when the boats docked,” she said.

Her life has been marked by both hardship and joy. Hope lost her first husband, Alfred, when he was in his 50s while raising their two children, Ray and Diane. Later, she found love again with her second husband, John, who lived into his 90s.

Her daughter Diane Currie says her mother has always been a role model.

“She was a force to be reckoned with,” Currie said. “She was just a real example all our lives of all the things that we all aspire to be and should aspire to be.”

Hope’s memories remain sharp, including vivid recollections of the Second World War. One treasured photograph shows her feeding pigeons in London’s Trafalgar Square during the war, a photo carried in her soldier brother’s pocket for four years overseas.

“He had it in his pocket for the whole of the war,” Hope said. “He made it.”

Creativity has also remained a constant throughout her life. Taught to sew by her mother, who was a court dressmaker in England, Hope still uses her original sewing machine today.

“I keep helping people out with odd jobs sewing,” she said. “I can still sew; my hands still work.”

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She also continues to teach knitting lessons at the retirement home and donates quilts to organizations including CHEO. Her quilts have also won awards. One of her quilts was donated to the City of Ottawa in 2022 and is now displayed at the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park.

Lisa-Marie Fabiano, community relations director at Waterford Retirement Community, called Hope a “treasure.”

“She’s one of our ambassadors, which means when a new resident does come on board here and has jitters or nervousness, she takes them on, shows them around, introduces them to her friends. Her model is simply to be kind. That’s all she says, be kind.”

Her niece, Linde Strzelecki, says Hope’s outlook on life is what makes her truly special.

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“I’ve never known anybody more positive about life,” she said. “I always grew up saying, ‘I want to be just like you when I grow up.’ She’s amazing.”

As family members gathered around birthday cake and cards from great-grandchildren, Hope shared what she believes is the secret to a long and fulfilling life.

“I think if you’re kind, good to others, it’s a great help,” she said. “And it makes you happy.”