Donald
Teuma-Castelletti
SHAWVILLE Aug. 19, 2017
A happy birthday is going out to a local, as she celebrated her big day with friends and family from all over.
But it’s not just any old birthday we’re talking about here, as Bertha Mee prepares to break through the century mark and come through singing. With the party hosted at the St. Paul’s Anglican Church hall in Shawville, almost 300 people came out to wish her well.

“It was since the 99th birthday that we planned on a big event,” said Erma Acres, one of Mee’s daughters.
While her actual birthday isn’t until September 30th, Acres and her sister decided it best to celebrate early because it was easier for everyone to travel during the summer, especially before the great-grandchildren head back to school.
Considering that some families travelled from across Canada and parts of Michigan, this plan evidently worked out well. Raising two daughters, which lead into five grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren, it was a guarantee she’d have a large attendance for the party.
Entering the church hall, a table greeted people with a collection of photos throughout the years, a decorative bird cage for cards and memories to be placed in, and the congratulatory messages from the offices of the governor-general and prime minister.
As well, her daughters had asked everyone to bring stories and pictures so that they could build a scrapbook for their mother afterwards.
Married to Russell Mee in 1943, Bertha and her husband had lived in North Gower all their married life. Together, they farmed and always ate off the land, as Bertha was big into gardening, preserving and canning her food.
It’s this kind of hardworking and self-reliant lifestyle that Bertha credits to her longevity.
“Now everyone buys everything,” said Acres, recalling Bertha’s answers when asked previously. “Everything is premade, but back then you made it.”
Couple this with her faith in God, having gone to church from the time she was carried and all the way through today, and it makes for a fountain of longevity.
And as for what Bertha wanted to do special for her big day? Well, that was simple. She wanted to sing, and sing she did.
Performing both with backup and alto, she sang a rendition of “Mountain over the Hilltop” that went over tremendously.
“When she sang solo, everyone clapped and cheered,” said Acres. “People recorded and Facebooked it, so it kind of went viral.”