From Queen Mum visit to Grey Cup wins: Sask. woman turns 100

Marion McKechnie has lived a life rich with good memories.

As she blew out the candles on her 100th birthday cake, she had more than one wish in mind.

“Just to stay healthy and have joy the rest of my life,” the centenarian said. “I don’t know how long I’ll be here, but every day is a number to me.”

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McKechnie was born on Sept. 15, 1926 in Regina, and lived in Lajord for much of her life – a town 35 kilometres southeast of the city.

Marion McKechnie beams at well wishers at her 100th birthday part at the Renaissance Retirement Residence in Regina. (Gillian Massie/ 980 CJME)

Now living at the Renaissance Retirement Residence in Regina, McKechnie will never forget the day classes were cancelled in 1939.

She and her classmates took a train into Regina to see King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

“We never got to Regina,” the senior recalled. “Maybe once in the blue moon, and that was a real treat when we did.”

McKechnie remembers standing in a field by the exhibition grounds as the Queen and her husband waved from a convertible.

“What a beautiful lady she was,” she said.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited several communities in Saskatchewan in 1939. The Queen Mother visited Saskatchewan twice in her lifetime. (The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan/ Grenfell Museum)

McKechnie also felt sorrow that same year, when World War II broke out.

“I remember when my dad went to the army in the war, and I was sad about that,” she said. “He wasn’t in very long, but anyway, I know I cried when he came home and he joined the army.”

For many years, McKechnie worked as a stenographer at Sears and in the civil service, and became a stay-at-home mom after having children. She remembered taking Regina’s streetcar transit system to work before a fire destroyed the fleet in 1949.

McKechnie is proud to be the mom of two kids with her late husband. She said the happiest day of her life was either her wedding day or the day her grandchild was born.

McKechnie has also lived through every Saskatchewan Roughriders championship win and loved watching players Darian Durant and Ron Lancaster.

Head Coach Corey Mace and Riders hoist the cup in front of the Legislative Building and Rider Nation. (Britton Gray/980 CJME)

She’s enjoyed attending games at Mosaic Stadium, but thinks those days are over.

“I like watching it on TV better,” McKechnie laughed.

Over a century, life for McKechnie changed dramatically, from playing solitaire with cards to now playing it on her computer. Even with all the years behind her, she doesn’t have a single regret at night.

The centenarian said there is no secret to her longevity – she just tried her best to lead a good, happy life for herself with a loving family.