More than a century, 104 years, is a long time for just about anything. But when it comes wrapped in a Canadian smile from a person who can now claim she has lived through two pandemics and is Campobello's oldest resident, well, that person is just special.
     Evelyn Calder -- "Evie" to family and friends -- celebrated her 104th birthday on April 1 amidst smiles, long distance hugs and telephone calls from friends, family and staff at Campobello Lodge Nursing Home in Welshpool.
     Calder took all the pomp and celebration that can safely be had on a birthday as momentous as this in stride, beamed a big smile and said, "I feel fine and am so very loved and blessed." And as someone who has spent her entire life on the Canadian side of the water, she has no complaints. It is where she has lived her whole life, and for the bevy of memories that alone provides, for Calder, she simply says it's home.
     Calder was born in 1917 to Ethel and Levi Mitchell and grew up in Wilson's Beach with her older brother and three sisters. She moved to North Road when she married the love of her life, James Calder. There they raised two children, Jay and Mary; she now has two grandsons, three great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
     It is hard to imagine how much life can change over a century and all of the memories that can accumulate throughout a lifetime, but Calder remembers plenty, especially as a little girl going for visits to see relatives living on Grand Manan. "When I was eight years old we went by steamer and stayed for two weeks," says Calder. "I got homesick. But while I was there, my cousins took me on a picnic, and I had a peanut butter sandwich for the first time. You see, peanut butter was a luxury then, and Mama and Daddy couldn't afford it. It was so good I can still taste it!"
     Fishing and boats were what life was and still is today, Calder remembers, though both have changed dramatically. "Fishing is what many did on the island to make a living," says Calder. "There wasn't a lot of money to be made, but the fish were plentiful and people got by. Today, there are too many people trying to fish, which has ruined it for almost everyone."
     "We walked everywhere we needed to go on the island, and we took our time," says Calder. When needing to travel longer distances Calder recalls, "Steamers took us to other places, and women would bum rides with local fishermen to Eastport for supplies. The one regret I have is I never rode by horse and buggy or sleigh -- wished I had done that, it would have been heavenly!"
     But Calder did frequently row a skiff in the harbor, which led to an encounter she has not forgotten. It was a beautiful calm day in 1945 when she and two other women were rowing from one side of the harbor to the other. A powerboat struck their skiff, throwing both Calder and another into the water, while the third woman clung to the bow of the powerboat. Calder says she almost floated by Ramie Lank's boat but was pulled from the water by Lank before the tide could get hold of her. The other woman was pulled from the water unconscious and given CPR. All three survived the accident.
     Staying busy, according to Calder, is how it was done back then, especially on an island. "I skipped rope, played hopscotch, and boy could I play baseball. I used to swim in the cove across from my house. My most favorite thing to do when I was a little girl was to climb apple trees, and today my most favorite thing to do is talk with people and snuggle my cat, Sweety."
     Calder remained busy through much of her life, doing all the bookkeeping for her husband's fishing business as well as being very active in her church, St. Timothy's Catholic Church. She and her husband would help with maintenance, and she also chaired the women's group that raised money for the church. Evie and her husband would also provide a place to stay for visiting priests traveling monthly from Saint John to celebrate Mass. Until COVID-19 struck, Calder was receiving communion weekly from a local member of the church.
     Mary Calder is overjoyed with the care her mother has received at the nursing home and counts herself lucky to have grown up on Campobello. Though she could not be with her Mom because of travel restrictions, she was able to video chat with the help of the staff at the nursing home. "These people are fantastic! They keep us connected and treat Mom like a queen. We talk daily on the phone, and Mom still to this day could fill a book with her stories."
     When asked how she felt about being interviewed on her birthday for the newspaper, Evie giggled, saying how fun it was to be asked all of these questions. "Going down the road as a young girl, I remember it like yesterday."
     And when asked what advice she would offer all of the "younger folk," Calder again offered a big smile saying, "Today everything seems faster and everyone rushes too much. Slow down and enjoy life, be kind and love your neighbor."
      (Appreciation is extended to Iva Lee Mallock of the Campobello Lodge Nursing Home for conducting the interview on behalf of The Quoddy Tides.)