Secret of woman who died at 110: ‘Just keep breathing’
Alice May Bicknell lived to a ripe old age, and then some.
The Grimsby resident died at the Deer Park Villa nursing home on Nov. 21 at the age of 110. Sorry, make that 110 years, six months and 14 days — she was born May 12, 1907.
Bicknell lived to be one of the oldest people in Canada.
According to the Gerontology Research Group, which tracks people older than 110 worldwide, the oldest person in the country is Ellen Gibb of North Bay, who was born April 10, 1905, and is 112.
The oldest person on the planet is Nabi Tajima of Japan, who was born August 4, 1900, which would make her 117.
Bicknell was born at a time when the horse and buggy was still the main way to get around, Canada was marking its 40th birthday, the Titanic was still in the planning stage, Germany had a kaiser and Russia had a czar.
She lived to see the First World War, the Great Depression, the Second World War, man conquering space and the coming of radio, television and the internet.
Her time on earth covered five British monarchs, 20 U.S. presidents and 17 Canadian prime ministers.
Bicknell’s daughter Christine Hodgkins, 79, said her mother always marvelled at how the world evolved and wondered what would be the next invention.
The family lived in England before coming to Canada in 1953, and she said her mother “thought the best thing was when they got hydro, electricity, into their home” over there.
Later, after settling in their new homeland, she said her mother was excited by the idea of having a refrigerator in the kitchen — they had no such thing in England and her mother called it “the best thing going.” While not an invention, call it a 20th-century development, the abundance the family found in a Canadian supermarket was something Bicknell found astounding.
“First time, we walked into a Dominion we could not close our mouths,” said Hodgkins. “There was butter, bacon, all over, different kinds. We couldn’t believe it. She often spoke of that.”
Bicknell’s genes may have played a role in her longevity. Her father, Edward Highfield, died at 93 and her mother Alice died at 95. She also had two sisters who lived into their 90s. Whenever she was asked her secret to a long life, however, she just put it up to happenstance.
“She’d just say, ‘Everybody’s living longer. We’re all living longer.’ She just took it in stride. Everybody would ask her what her secret was and she’d say, ‘Just keep breathing.’”
Her age got some attention. A researcher from Boston University, who studies people older than 100, had seen an article in the Grimsby paper about Bicknell’s 110th birthday party in May. He gathered information on her and her family background, but Bicknell died before providing a blood and DNA sample.
Bicknell grew up in Wolverhampton, England, the oldest of four children. Her father worked at a factory making door locks and her mother was a homemaker. Her daughter said they always asked her mother about what she remembered growing up and one time she spoke about seeing German zeppelins during the First World War.
Bicknell worked as a bookkeeper in England and as a saleslady in a dry goods store in downtown St. Catharines until she was 65 in 1972. She married Bill Bicknell in 1936 and they had one child. He worked as a plasterer and, after the family came to Canada, opened his own business called Bicknell Building and built homes in Fonthill. He died in 1964 of stomach cancer at the age of 54. The family spent time in Jordan, Sault St. Marie and St. Catharines.
Bicknell lived on her own until she had a ministroke when she was 99 and the doctor told her she couldn’t go back to her apartment. She moved into Deer Park in 2006. She enjoyed reading, listening to classical music and spending time with her family.
The family always had a big birthday party for her every year after she turned 100. They had food, cake, a band and relatives would often visit from England. Her daughter visited her every day.
“We were so fortunate to have her for so long,” said Hodgkins. “It’s definitely a void in our lives.”