Myrle Maude Miller, who moved to Canada almost 40 years ago with her husband Lester, was joined by family and friends at her Extendicare home in Mississauga to celebrate the milestone birthday.
"All of my earliest memories have Aunt Merts in them," said Marie Fischer, the daughter of Miller's niece. "Her quiet dignity, intelligence, unshakeable strength, humour, and never failing wisdom has been an inspiration to all who have known her."
Thanks to her grandchildren, Miller learned the rules to hockey and baseball and was glued to the TV when the games were on, said Fischer.
"She would be as excited as a child," she said.
The birthday girl enjoys politics as well, and never misses the chance to vote.
Born in Jamaica, Miller moved to Canada to rejoin her family and ended up raising many of her kin. After her sister died, she was responsible for raising her niece, Fischer's mother, who was two-weeks-old at the time.
"So really, Aunt Merts is my grandmother," Fischer said.
The last survivor of nine siblings, Miller never had children of her own.
"Her nieces and nephews and their children became her children," said Fischer. "Her home was an open house for us kids."
While Miller's birthday was yesterday, the milestone occasion involved three days of celebration.
"And she deserves it," Fischer said.
Extendicare Mississauga is located at 855 John Watt Blvd. and is one of Canada's largest providers of long-term care.
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