Lillian Mary (Parish) McElwaine was born July 10, 1912, the sixth of 10 children in Vera. Lillian is better known to family as Tilly, a nickname given to her early in life by her uncle. Tillie was raised on the family farm northwest of Unity. She married John McElwaine in 1932 and they lived in their first apartment for the rental rate of $13 per month.
They lived on top of a hill in the Cairns view area where their son Clinton went to school. They moved to Unity in 1967. Tillie was widowed in 1984. After various hospital stays, Tillie decided to make the Unimac Lodge her new home in February 1995. When the Unimac retired, Tillie moved up to the new long term care centre where she still resides today.
Lillian was joined on her 100th birthday by fellow residents and family friends. In addition, her sister Pearl's four girls - Marlene Campbell, of Vermillion, Bev Smith of Lloydminster and Dorothy Van de Meutter and Nina Burnell, both from Unity - joined her for the celebration.
The long term care centre proudly displays a large, framed needlework Lord's Prayer that Tillie had made for the centre.
