Valley resident turns 106; daughter calls her amazing
Kelowna resident Helen Serwa celebrated her 106th birthday this month, although the exact date of her birth is up for debate.
“She was born sometime in July, but they were on the prairies and she was somehow the only one (of 13 children) whose birthday they didn’t write in the Bible,” said daughter Doreen Large. “They were very busy either hilling or hoeing potatoes.”
Serwa’s birth was officially registered as Sept. 2, 1911.
“When (her father) got to where he could register her, he got nervous,” said Large. “You had a certain time to tell them they were born, and he couldn’t speak English, he was Ukrainian, so he just nodded and that’s what the person ended up putting down.”
Serwa moved to Kelowna in October 1945, and remained living in her own home up until just over a year ago. She has remained active throughout the years, including winning a gardening contest in Kelowna at 100 years old.
“She was even picking grapes in the vineyard at 90,” said Large. “She’s just one of those amazing people. She’s always kind and caring; we always had company, she cooked dinners, put people up overnight, she worked from morning to night. She really did live to her fullest.”
Serwa has always been an encouragement to everyone in her family and has set a good example for them, said her son Cliff Serwa.
“I think she had a great influence not only on her children but certainly to her grandchildren, and going through perhaps to her great-grandchildren,” he said. “She set a high benchmark for all her family to strive to be the best we could possibly be, and to strive to be good Canadians.”