'I'll keep going as long as I can': Winnipegger turns 100 years old

Living an active life, eating well and not feeling sorry for yourself – that’s what one newly minted Winnipeg centenarian attributes her longevity to.

Ruth Thompson celebrated 100 years young over the weekend, with a big party full of family, friends, food and speeches.

“It was just a great evening. I enjoyed every bit of it,” Thompson told CTV News Winnipeg in an interview Tuesday.

Born in Germany on Oct. 22, 1923, Thompson came to Canada when she was just four years old.

A self-described ‘farm wife,’ Thompson raised six children alongside husband George, living a life where there wasn’t much time for pleasure.

“It was just get up early in the morning at five o’clock, milk the cows. We always had a hired man. There was a lot of meals to cook at harvest time,” she recalled.

She credits her years on the homestead with making her strong and keeping her physically active into her golden years.

Her son recalled Thompson’s 88th birthday spent on a ballooning trip, while her 90th was rung in clearing bush.

Ruth Thompson, 100, is pictured at her Winnipeg condo on Oct. 24, 2023 with some cherished photos. (Source: Scott Andersson/CTV News Winnipeg)

Thompson has been all across Canada, save for Newfoundland, and travelled to Egypt, Israel, Mexico, Hawaii, sailed on cruises and ridden the teacups at Disney Land.

There’s been heartbreak as well as joy, losing her two youngest children over the years - a daughter to leukemia and a son to a heart attack.

Today, she continues to lead an independent life in her condo. She loves watching television, baking bread, and playing games; the latter hobby also helps her to remember the names of her 15 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.

“My memory is really good so far because I play games.”

The spry 100-year-old doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon. The only thing she has left on her bucket list, she says, is to milk a cow one more time.

Otherwise, she plans to keep thriving and spending as much time enjoying her family.

“I’ll keep going as long as I can.”

- With files from CTV's Scott Andersson