OXBOW - The 20 residents of Bow Valley Villa in Oxbow had a great reason to celebrate even before the holiday season this year.
On Dec. 13, one of the residents, Mary Loppe, turned 100 years old.
Loppe was born at the Taylorton mining town near Bienfait in 1921 and raised in the community. Early in life, she learned how to cook and really liked it, which got her a job at the mines.
"My mother taught me how to cook … And she knew the people that were running a coal mine so they asked her if she could have me to help to cook. I got down there and worked there and that's where I met Leonard. Two years later, we got married. Two and a half years later, we had a baby girl. Next year we had a baby boy and then the next year a baby boy again. And then I said enough. And eight years later we had another girl and two years later another boy," shared Loppe.
At the mines, Loppe would cook and wash dishes, make bread and cookies and anything else. She knew how to make English food, but she also learned how to cook Ukrainian cuisine. A lot of miners were of Ukrainian descent, so she "had the best of two worlds."
The young family decided to get into farming. First, they rented land. Loppe's husband would farm in summer and mine in the winter until they purchased a full section to start their own farm east of Oxbow.
"I was a farmer's wife. I married young. We bought a farm in ’47. And for two kids that had nothing, to buy a farm was a big thing. But we never bought anything that we didn't absolutely need until we got the farm paid for," Loppe said.
"We lived on that farm and added a little more land to it. We raised five children. Now I have grandchildren, great grandchildren and I have a great great granddaughter," Loppe said.
The young family raised cattle and grew grain in the beginning because it was cash income. Once they paid for the farm, they focused on crops. They grew their farm to five quarters, which allowed them to make a good living off that land.
Later, when they retired, the Loppes’ youngest son, who always helped with the farm, continued with the operation his parents started, allowing for some peaceful time for the parents.
Leonard passed away in 2013 at the age of 97. And Loppe moved into Bow Valley Villa, a non-profit personal care home well-known and loved in the Oxbow area, four years ago and said that these years have been good.
Loppe said she was "quite happy" to celebrate her centennial, and she always took a "one day at a time" approach to getting to where she is now.
For the special day, Loppe's family and Bow Valley Villa residents and staff had some surprises to make it great. People around her also went the extra mile to cheer her well ahead of the date.
"Mary was a bit of a biker chick in her day," said Sara Adams, Bow Valley Villa activity director. "I asked her one morning what you'd like to do, if you have a bucket list. And she said she wanted to drive across America with her husband way back when he was alive. And I said, 'Well, that's a bit far-fetched. But let's see what we can do instead.' So our manager here made a few phone calls."
And last summer, at 99 years old, Loppe went on a bike ride with her grandson Brad.
Her passion for motorcycles started with one short ride back in a day. Loppe liked it, and soon her husband invited her to come along to Weyburn. They went places there, then came back and the next day, Loppe received a bike of her own, which Leonard took away as suddenly many years later.
"I got up in the morning, went out to get fresh air and to feed the chickens. I turned around and there was a motorcycle sitting in my yard. It came overnight. I have no idea how it got from Weyburn to our house," Loppe shared, laughing.
"I drove it until I was 65 and he never said anything about it. And I got up one day and wanted to go for a motorbike ride, and I had no motorbike. He didn't want me riding it anymore."
Leonard and Mary lived together for almost 74 years.
"It's a lot of give and take. I wanted to get married, and he was a very good man, was very good to me. I loved him and he loved me, and I knew it. And we told one another that day in and day out," Loppe shared.
She said all their lives, they did what they had to do. They went through the Dirty 30s when there was nothing but dust. Loppe's family with five of them was receiving relief of $7 a month then. They made it through a lot and learned to appreciate every bit that they had.
"We were thankful for what we get," Loppe said. "And now I'm thankful I'm still healthy, I eat well and sleep well on the bed here. I think I'm doing well."
Loppe has a lot of hobbies. She knits and is currently working on a beautiful picture of a teddy bear with a garland of flowers. She also quilts, sews, embroiders and crochets. She went for sewing classes in the ’60s, but most of what she knows about sewing, she learned from her mother. She still loves to read, beads and partakes in craft activities at Bow Valley Villa.
"I try to do everything that I can. It helps put in the time and keeps me moving around," Loppe said.
When asked about a secret to a long and happy life, Loppe said, "I think to a certain extent, you have to do the things that you like to do. When I was younger, I had a job. And my first job paid $5 a month. And I worked from 6 o'clock in the morning, sometimes till 9 o'clock at night. And then dad said enough is enough and took me home, he said no more. After that, I had got a better job and got this whole dollar a day, which was much better.
“And I only worked two weeks and I got a raise. And at the end of the month, they said if you keep on like this, there'll be another raise in two weeks. It kept on raising. And by the time I was ready to quit work, I was getting a pretty good wage. I was known as a cook."
