TISDALE 鈥� Bernadette Kennedy never thought she would live another day when she was 50, but as she celebrated her 100th birthday she saw herself proven wrong.
Kennedy grew up on a farm at Cut Knife, Sask. Her parents were French-Canadians, who travelled from the east coast.
At home she would speak French, and at school she would speak English.
Years later she would meet her future husband, Lionel Kennedy.
Kennedy said she doesn鈥檛 know how old they were when they met but jokingly she added, 鈥淚 should have known better,鈥� before chuckling.
Lionel worked for the Canadian National Railway. Due to this, she ended up moving around several times before ending up in Tisdale.
鈥淚f you want to get ahead, you have to move,鈥� Kennedy said.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 easy sometimes, some of the places we moved to, but you make do.鈥�
She said this also gave her kids an advantage because had to meet new people.
鈥淪ome kids find it hard when they grow up and have to go out in the world, but with us.... You鈥檇 have to ask them, but they didn鈥檛 have trouble making friends.鈥�
Family has always been a big part of Kennedy鈥檚 life. Her room is covered with photos of her late husband, her parents, siblings, children and grandchildren. Some images were clearly not taken recently, with the black and white shades.
鈥淚 guess some people think I got too many pictures up, but I like it.鈥�
In her living room there are flowers, gifted to her for the birthday occasion. On her wall, hangs proudly a plaque gifted by the Canadian National Railway, acknowledging her 100th.
While her husband worked on the tracks, she worked at home raising her four children. Raising them is the thing she鈥檚 most proud of.
Kennedy said her happiest memory is watching them grow up.
鈥淭o have them grow up and not end up in jail,鈥� she said before laughing.
She said at that age her children were all teacher鈥檚 pets.
鈥淭hey were pretty good, but there was just a year between each one until the last one and he turned out to be a hockey player so he was gone a lot. He ended up in Europe.鈥�
One year for Christmas, Kennedy and her husband got their oldest child, Terry Duncan, a toy train set.
鈥淲e had it on the track and then the engine came off, and Terry was so scared, 鈥榯he engineer is coming!鈥� 鈥� because we told him we lived right next to the track and he figured the engineer was coming after him.鈥�
She said raising children is a worry, but it鈥檚 worth it when they鈥檙e all grown up with children of their own.
鈥淭he grandchildren are doing so good, they鈥檙e all professors and stuff like that,鈥� Kennedy said.
She said she鈥檚 proud of them.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e not the kind of people that go around thinking they鈥檙e something, but they are because they鈥檙e very smart.鈥�
Now Terry lives in Tisdale and according to Kennedy, keeps an eye on her.
鈥淗e鈥檚 really good, and then my daughter used to live here too, but they live in Alberta. Her two daughters are coming to visit this week and they鈥檙e both in Alberta.鈥�
Nowadays Kennedy describes her hobbies as playing cards, gossiping and the occasional dance 鈥� but nothing too classical.
鈥淚t鈥檚 funny isn鈥檛 it? We grow up, some days you never think you鈥檙e going to make it,鈥� Kennedy said. 鈥淗ere we are.鈥�
