​Lucknow woman celebrates her 106th birthday

Elli Pemoller of Lucknow has lived more than a century and seen a lot of changes.

Tuesday, she celebrated her 106th birthday with her family and the residents and staff of Pinecrest Manor Nursing Home.

She credits her longevity to enjoying a glass of brandy each night for many years.

Born Oct. 15, 1918, in Hamburg, Germany, she was a premature baby. She was set beside a coal stove in a shoe box to stay warm. That was during the first pandemic, the Spanish flu, that killed 50-million people.

Elli survived the bombings of two World Wars - Hamburg was one of the most heavily-bombed cities during the Second World War. She and her daughter, a two-year-old child at the time, had to run to a bomb shelter on a regular basis.

She survived cervical cancer, and a second pandemic, being diagnosed with COVID-19 twice.

Elli volunteered in a long-term care home in Mississauga, until she was 89 years old. Her doctor placed her in palliative care, but then reversed his decision, since she was doing so well.

She is an inspiration to the aging people of Canada, and her family wishes her more years of happiness.

Elli has two daughters, Antje Slessor and her husband, Dave, of New Zealand, and Heidi Summerton and her husband, Dave, of Kincardine; as well as grandchildren, Jeff Slessor, Heidi Slessor, Andrea (Brian) Laton and Sheryl (Ian) Sauder; and great-grandchildren, Hailey, Charlotte, Aiden, Regan and Nathan and Erik.