Big changes have happened over the last century, and Rose Taylor has seen them all.
Born in 1914, Taylor recently celebrated her 100th birthday on Dec. 29 and one of the most memorable changes she saw in the past century? Cars.
“I don't know (what the biggest change was),” she said from her room in Rose Wood Village in Trail. “(But), the buggy to the car to the airplane (was big).”
Rose's granddaughter-in-law, Shirley Taylor, says the centenarian used to ride a buggy to get to school when she was growing up in Rosemont, Saskatchewan.
From buggies to cars, Rose has a few tips for those who want to live to see 100 years of happenings – eat your vegetables and stay independent.
“It's been a long time,” she said. “But oh, yes, lots of vegetables (and lots of) homemade bread.”
Rose baked her own bread until she was 96 years old and now, Shirley brings her a bit of the loaves she bakes at home along with homemade cinnamon buns.
Shirley says throughout Rose's 100 years, she has always made her own decisions and took charge, contributing to a long, fruitful life.
“She was the one who sold her car, handed in her driver's licence and decided to move in (to Rose Wood Village),” she said. “She told us, 'A 90-year-old has no business on the highway.'”
Rose first moved to the Trail area from Saskatchewan in 1937, settling down in Fruitvale. Taylor's family has lived all over the Greater Trail area over the next few decades, settling in Rossland for a while, and then back to the Beaver Valley in 1971, where she lived in Montrose until moving into the Rose Wood Village care facility.
Some of the changes the 100-year-old has gotten to see first hand are within her own family. Rose has the pleasure of enjoying four generations of children and family. Rose's grandson, Don Taylor, says she has too many relatives to count.
“She had three kids, two boys and a girl, and then had seven grandkids,” he said. “There are lots of great grandkids and too many great-great-grandkids to count. They move away and it is hard to keep track sometimes.”
Apparently, it isn't uncommon for the women in the Taylor family to live a long and illustrious life.
“All the women in her family tend to live to be over 90 years old,” said Shirley, adding that the later years are high-quality years for the Taylor women. “She is always walking around and is always busy (into her old age).”