Russ Brown carved out some fun for his birthday

February 23, 2018 · 0 Comments

By Bill Rea
It was a busy weekend for Caledon East resident Russ Brown.
Saturday was his 100th birthday, and his friends in the Humber Valley Wood Carvers, threw a celebration for him Sunday, including birthday cake and a lot of good wishes. He also spent time Saturday celebrating with friends and family.
Brown was born Feb. 18, 1918 in Woodstock, Ontario, but he’s lived in various other places over the years, like Boston, Nova Scotia and California. He also lived for a time in Quebec.
He now lives in Abbeyfield Caledon House in Caledon East, and he’s quite pleased with it.
“You help out according to your ability,” he said. “We have great fun.”
Brown was married to his wife Lillian from 1941. She died in 1997.
He is the father of a son and two daughters, and has two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The cake was another feature that made the celebration special.
“This was a complete surprise,” he remarked.
Brown worked for about 35 years for Bell Canada, and spent five years as a flight instructor in the air force, but he never got to go overseas during the Second World War. He attributed that to “biological luck.”
“I wasn’t anything special,” he commented, trying to explain the secret of living to be 100. “I was a heavy smoker as a young person.”
He added he quit smoking in 1956,
“I don’t believe in all these aids that are available to quit smoking,” he commented. “It’s as simple as a decision.”

It was a special weekend for Caledon East resident Russ Brown. His friends in the Humber Valley Wood Carvers presented him with a cake Sunday in honour of his 100th birthday, which was Saturday.
Photo by Bill Rea