At 101, Hilda Duddridge might sometimes have a shortage of energy, but one thing she does not have a shortage of is friends.
That's evidenced by the dozens of beaming folks gathered inside Cherish at Central Park, the seniors community where she lives, for her birthday lunch.
For the woman of the hour, the milestone is "unbelievable," she says. She follows in the footsteps of her late husband, Lew, who made it to 104. "You know, you never think of being that old. And I don't feel that old. I feel about 80."
Hilda's party is so lively in part due to her infectious smile and positive attitude. "I've never heard Hilda complain about anything in her life," says Tricia Gamelin, community relations coordinator at Cherish. In the seniors' living community, Hilda is an integral glue in the social fabric, she says. "She encourages people who are new in the building to sit with her so that she can encourage them to live with dignity." Another employee, Tara Ramsbottom, says she "rocks her fashion sense."
Perhaps no one knows her better, though, than her four kids. Daughter Glenys Barry said her mom's adventurous, positive attitude has been a huge inspiration that carries her through to this day.
"She's the biggest mentor that a person could have as a woman, and now we're both seniors, so she's mentoring me into seniorship; how to age gracefully, with curiosity."
Barry is currently building off that curiosity and learning about her mom in a whole new way as she writes out her story.
It's nothing short of vibrant and includes living through World War II, becoming a war bride, and having an adventurous life with Lew, a bomber pilot. Both lived through exceptional, near-death experiences, like when Hilda's parents' pub was bombed three days after they bought it, or when her workplace was hit while she was out of the building.
Now one of the last remaining Second World War brides, Hilda can recall moving to Saskatchewan alone and raising her children through trying times, including the blizzard in 1954.
But, those trying times didn't last; she and her love went on to have four children, six grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and infinite happy memories, including flying back and forth over the Rockies 24 times together.
They also lived under five different monarchs, 11 Canadian prime ministers, and an unimaginable number of world-changing events.
"They lived a life of adventure, extremely tense times, and so many joyous happy times," Hilda's son, Roger, said in a past interview.
"I'm just amazed, really, how much they've done in their lives. It just keeps on adding up."
Throughout it all, Hilda maintained her lust for life - something that continues to this day.
These days, Hilda sometimes has two or three naps a day and says her knees often bother her. But, she says, "there's always a bright side to everything."
"I don't want to get despondent," she said, acknowledging the realities of aging. "If I get feeling that way, I find something to laugh about."
And at her birthday party, that laughter spreads as Hilda cuts into the cake with the candle that says 101.