Mable Stanley celebrates 104th birthday
By Joan Janzen
Mable Stanley is celebrating her 104th birthday on December 7th. She holds the honour of being the oldest resident at Caleb Village in Kindersley, where she has resided for the past ten years. This birthday gal was born and raised in Kindersley.
To get a picture of the era in which Mable was born, on the day of her birth, newspapers across North America carried headlines of a tragic, massive explosion in Halifax when a munitions ship exploded. Born in 1917, Mable was the oldest of 13 siblings, having five brothers and seven sisters.
Mable and her husband, Murray, enjoyed 30 years of marriage before his passing. They exchanged vows on a stormy day, after which the newlyweds headed to Calgary but only made it as far as Marengo. Mable has two children, Aaron, and Cary Lou, who passed away in 2012; three grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
A number of years were spent working at the OK Economy and Extra Foods, as well as being involved with the Royal Purple and volunteering at the United Church. Her late husband Murray (Doc) worked with the Senior Klippers as their trainer until the mid-1970s. Mable and her husband worked as the team’s equipment managers.
There wasn’t much money available for uniforms back in the day, so instead of replacing uniforms, Mable would wash and repair team sweaters, stitching up holes and tears. The team members knew Mable cared about them, and they appreciated looking out in the crowd and spotting her there.
Mable never missed a game, often travelling with the team. She once travelled with the Klippers to a national championship in Newfoundland; it was her first and last visit to that province. She loved to travel and did so throughout Canada and the United States, but more than anything else, she appreciated the friendships she made and visiting with them after the games.
Many enjoyable hours were spent watching games at the arenas and ballparks, and she is a huge Rider fan. Before her 100th birthday, she enjoyed an early celebration by going to the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ new Mosaic Stadium to watch a Roughrider game, along with 26 of her family members.
As a long-time Rider fan, Mable enjoyed knitting while watching games on TV. Nancy Vanthuyne, the general manager at Caleb, said, “Mable is amazing! She comes for coffee every morning, and we enjoy our morning visit. She enjoys her family visits, her sports on TV, and cheering on the Riders.”
Her son, Aaron, said his mom is in good health, except for having difficulty hearing. “She is a good cook, was always busy and a hard worker, but is starting to slow down.”
Happy Birthday, Mable! We hope your day is spent with family and friends.
