'She was happy. She was feisty': Manitoba's oldest resident passes away at 111 years old

A Manitoba woman, the province’s oldest living resident, is being remembered by her family as a funny, sharp woman with a passion for learning.

Jemima Westcott, known to friends and family as Mime, died earlier this month. She celebrated her 111th birthday in January.

“She was happy. She was feisty. She was funny, like really funny and very sharp-witted,” granddaughter Raunora Westcott told CTV News Winnipeg. “She could tell stories from every decade, like going back to the 1920s, so her memory was very sharp.”

The former school teacher, who grew up in the small Manitoba farming community of Lauder, was one of 11 siblings, many of whom led similarly long lives. Her two older sisters died at 107 and 105 years old respectively, while her youngest brother passed away just shy of his 100th birthday.

Jemima Westcott, who grew up in the small Manitoba farming community of Lauder, was one of 11 siblings, many of whom led similarly long lives. (Source: Raunora Westcott/Twitter)

Mime worked as a teacher for decades. Her granddaughter said her passion for learning stretched on into her retirement years, as well.

“She constantly had three, four or five different books on the go, all at the same time, so I think her love for learning and the fact that she was a teacher for so many years contributed to her happiness,” Raunora said.

Mime lived independently in a condo until she was 106, only opting to enter a personal care home after some urging from her family, and a potentially paranormal experience.

Jemima Westcott is pictured with late husband Reginald in a family handout photo. There was no social distancing in Jemima Westcott's small farm community in Lauder, Man., when the Spanish Flu hit over a century ago. THE CANADIAN PRESS

Raunora recalls Mime telling her about a strange experience she had while sitting on her couch. She heard some rattling in the kitchen, which was odd as her hearing at the time was not the greatest.

“She turned around and looked into the kitchen, and her mother was standing at the sink, and she turned to her and said ‘Mime, it’s time to go into a home,’ and that next day she started getting the wheels in motion for going into a personal care home in Brandon,” Raunora recalled.

She said her grandmother was even a part of a study by Boston University analyzing longevity and centenarians.

Raunora can’t say for sure what contributed to her grandmother’s long, prosperous life, but says Mime was constantly on the move, and ate a lean diet of mostly fruits and vegetables from her sprawling garden.

Moreover, she said Mime didn’t sweat the small stuff.

“She wasn't a worrier. She never stressed about things, and I think stress can be a killer, so that being said, I feel like, just her contentedness with her life and surrounded by family, I think that took her a long way, too,” Westcott said.

“And maybe a gin and tonic once in a while.”