Elsie Langhorne celebrates 100th birthday
The size and scope of the 100th birthday celebration for Moose Jaw’s Elsie Langhorne on Saturday afternoon gave a solid accounting of the many lives she touched in her century of life in southern Saskatchewan.
Close to 100 people filled the Timothy Eaton Gardens auditorium to offer greetings and well-wishes to Langhorne, taking in a program of music, skits and memories that offered an impressive reflection on her long life.
“It’s been a wonderful time and it’s so nice to see so many wonderful people,” Elsie said during a brief pause in the greetings to chat with the Express. “I don’t even feel that tired because it’s such a great time.” Langhorne was born on May 25, 1918 and was raised on a farm with her four sisters in eastern Saskatchewan near Parkbeg. She became a school teacher in her youth before meeting Charlie Stevenson in 1942 and moving to a farm in the Mortlach area, where they lived for 30 years and raised a family of three children – Russ, Denny and Bonnie.
After Charlie passed away, Elsie reconnected with childhood friend Ted Langhorne and they were married in 1985. She lived in Pioneer Village for 30-plus years before moving to Timothy Eaton Gardens earlier this year.
Throughout her life, Elsie was committed to her faith, and she attributed her longevity to her beliefs – which extended to teaching Sunday school and volunteering for the church right up until she was 92. “Living for the Lord, live for him and he’ll be there for you,” Elsie said. “I (volunteered) as long as I could, I loved doing it and helping people learn about the Lord. I could still do it too if they wanted me to, I always enjoyed it.”
Part of the celebration was a handful of songs performed by family members, including grandson Cory Churko, well known for his work as a musician with many high-profile country recording artists.
A skit referring to Elsie’s omni-present aprons drew many laughs, given how ubiquitous her smocks were throughout her life – especially given her propensity for baking buns of various types that she was more than happy to serve to visitors, even today.
“I’m never without an apron. I always have one on — now it’s to catch the spills if I drop something,” Elsie said with a laugh. “But it was always important to have one on.”
And as could be expected, things are a little different in life compared to when Elsie was growing up – she rode horseback through her childhood long before cars were regular transportation. Two World Wars, technology advancements, everything. And...
“It’s crazy compared to how people used to dress,” Elsie said. “Now they show their whole body. We never did that. If I went out I had to have something on my neck. But that’s all progress I guess.”