FILE PHOTO - Elsie Chandler got a unique birthday surprise this week for her 102nd birthday, Feb. 1, 2021.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Ken Schneider
January 30, 2023 - 6:00 PM
A beloved Kelowna resident has died just shy of an incredible 104th birthday.
Elsie Chandler, whose birthday is Feb. 1 has been residing at the David Lloyd Jones care center in Kelowna, and died yesterday, Jan. 29.
“Elsie has always been a favourite with the people around her,” said friend George Johnson. “She has always been lively and a lot of fun.”
Chandler grew up in London, England, lived through the Second World War, and was part of the Air Raid Precautions at the Royal Free Hospital.
She has been the subject of several different articles in the Okanagan in the past as she was well liked in her community and continued to reach remarkable birthdays.
“She aged gracefully over the years,” Johnson said.
Johnson lived with Chandler in the same apartment building for a decade before Chandler moved to the care facility a couple of years ago.
"Elsie has been a great favourite of all the other residents and a number of the employees of the Save-On store in Mission Park would join us on their lunch breaks to celebrate Elsie’s birthdays with flowers, gifts and balloons.”
Last year, in a previous interview with iNFOnews, Chandler said her positive attitude is what kept her going.
“I think it’s wonderful. I don’t think it’s different than anywhere else. I just get up every day and do my thing and go to bed,” she said in the interview. “I think the most important thing is being aware that other people are in the world as well as you and if you can look around and help somebody, that makes my day.”
READ MORE: Kelowna woman celebrates 102nd birthday from apartment window
Johnson said his dear friend Elsie will be missed.
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