Well connected
95-year-old Fred Surette embraces technology in everyday life
Loss of hearing didn’t stop 95-year-old Fred Surette from continuing to chat with his daughter Louise in Middle East Pubnico every morning.
Surette lives with his other daughter, Shirley, in Sluice Point, Yarmouth County, and although he’s at an age that many might associate with rocking gently in a chair and reminiscing, Fred has a more vibrant approach to living.
Shirley remembers how it all started.
“One day we were on the couch and he said, ‘How do you do that? How do you text? I’d like to learn that.’”
With her help and assistance from his five grandchildren – including an old iPad from his granddaughter Melissa – Fred was soon texting, surfing online and even adding emojis to messages.
He’s become so keen and adept, there are hardly enough hours in a day for all he wants to do.
He plays solitaire online,
Fred at age 23.
does jigsaw puzzles, reads the news, checks the obits and browses Facebook through Shirley’s account.
“Sometimes he’ll say, ‘Did you know that…’”
“No, where did you see that?” Shirley says.
“On Facebook,” he says.
“No, I didn’t see that yet,” she replies.
It’s not uncommon for him to use her messenger to chat to friends and relatives.
“He’s on the computer first thing in the morning around eight, checking to see if there were any messages that came through the night. When he wakes up from a nap he grabs the iPad to see if anyone wrote to him,” laughs Shirley.
Sometimes when he gets up to go to the bathroom in the night he’ll play solitaire or work at jigsaw puzzles for half an hour.
He still welcomes company and a visit wouldn’t be complete unless guests are shown a vintage clock that once belonged to his greatgrandfather. There are also pictures of him with his 1942 Harley Davidson motorcycle, and, before that, a rare Indian motorcycle.
Those who know and love him will tell you how much of a jokester he is.
He chuckles as he browses his photos and points to one of himself wearing oversize 20/20 glasses for New Year’s Eve.
“He keeps himself occupied all the time. You’d think being a 95-year-old he’d be bored but he isn’t,” says Shirley.
Before his interview, he messaged his daughter-in-law, Annette, to tell her what was happening.
“They think I’m smart to be able to do this at my age, but I don’t think it’s anything great.”
Annette’s reply: “It’s a great thing for sure. Some people your age are afraid to try new things or are just so set in their old ways that they are unwilling to try. You are neither of those things. You’re still open to learning new things. You have a very positive attitude about everything. It keeps you young.
"Age is only a number until you give up. You never give up," she told him. "You should be very proud of yourself, Fred. Your family is very proud of you. The grandkids still enjoy being with you because even with your hearing loss, you are still willing to do your best to communicate with them. You inspire all of us.”