Fort William Elder celebrates birthday of the century
By Rick Garrick
THUNDER BAY— Fort William Elder Marion Wenzoski celebrated her 100th birthday on July 13 with family and friends at the Southbridge Roseview long-term care home in Thunder Bay.
“I thought it was nice when certain people came in — her eyes just lit up,” says Elsa Shepherdson, one of Wenzoski’s daughters. “And other people, she had seen them so she would just nod and listen to what they had to say.”
Shepherdson says her mother used to travel from her home on Dog Lake to Port Arthur, now part of Thunder Bay, by dogsled when she was a young woman. Dog Lake, located about 50 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, was one of the areas where Fort William citizens lived in the past and some still own property.
“In today’s world, you don’t even leave your house — you can just order your meals and pay … on your cell phone, so she has seen a lot,” Shepherdson says. “It was tough work, tough living.”
Gail Robert, another one of Wenzoski’s daughters who shared some family photos from Dog Lake, says her mother enjoyed her life in that community. Wenzoski was one of 12 siblings in her family.
“She loved it,” says Robert. “Jimmy (one of Wenzoski’s brothers) was fun for them growing up — he organized all kinds of games and competitions because they had a huge family. Every time she looks at this picture she says, ‘Oh, there is Jimmy and MaryAnn going out to the trapline. Look at MaryAnn, she is wearing her fur coat.’”
Robert says her mother used to take her and her four siblings, including brothers Brian, Lyonell and Wesley Wenzoski, to visit their grandmother Anne Wakates in the Dog Lake area near Silver Falls when they were children.
“One time when we went out there, they had a feast and it was in the fall,” Robert says. “We all got to stand around and we kind of danced. And then they passed the pipe to all of us.”
Wenzoski and husband Julius Weznoski raised their children in Beardmore, which is located about 180 kilometers northeast of Thunder Bay.
“It was pretty quiet — I remember coming home and mom would have the homemade donuts just about ready to go,” Brian says. “We just had to cool them and sprinkle a little bit of sugar on them.”
Shepherdson says her mother stayed at home until the youngest child went to school, when she began working at a grocery store in Beardmore.
“Mom was a wonderful cook,” Shepherdson says. “Everything was prepped by her. She used to go blueberry picking, raspberry, strawberry picking, hazelnut picking even with my dad. And then she would make preserves for the winter.”
Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins, whose grandmother was one of Wenzoski’s sisters, says Wenzoski is the only Fort William citizen to reach 100-years-old.
“I remember some stories from my granny telling me about when they used to cross the dam,” Collins says. “Some of our family is buried there too — we have some descendants in a burial ground in the Dog Lake area.”
Collins says Wenzoski received messages from the Queen, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier Doug Ford, Thunder Bay City Council and Fort William in recognition of her birthday.
“We enjoyed the celebration with her,” Collins says. “They did a family tree and in our family there are over 500 people. So it is a pretty substantial family.”
A video interview of Wenzoski is posted on the Fort William website.