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Joyce Van Dam credits being active as the secret for reaching the age of 100

March 3, 2019

Joyce Van Dam of Tiverton Park Manor says being active is the secret to longevity.

And she should know, as she celebrated her 100th birthday Saturday afternoon, surrounded by family and friends.

“I don't feel any different today than any other day,” she said, with a laugh. “I'm a young 100 years old!”

She said she always got lots of exercise, and kept going even when she didn't necessarily feel like it. “You have to keep active and do something every day. I never really thought about reaching 100 years of age, but here I am.”

Over the past century, she has seen a lot of changes, particularly in technology, but also in the attitudes of people.

“When I was born, the zipper was just invented,” she said, with a laugh. “When I was growing up, we didn't have washing machines or vacuum cleaners or disposable diapers. Now, we have all of these conveniences.”

Born March 8, 1919, in the Netherlands, Sara Josina (Joyce) Mulder was the second oldest of seven children. She married Willem Van Dam, Dec. 14, 1944. During the Second World War, food was scarce, but Joyce managed to set aside about one to two ounces of flour from the weekly rations and on her wedding day, the couple celebrated with a slice of white bread made from that flour.

They had three sons, Martin, Bill and Harry, while still living in the Netherlands. In May, 1954, Willem came to Canada, and in September of that year, Joyce and the boys followed. They travelled 10 days aboard the “SS Zuiderkruis,” a transformed merchant marine ship, with 20 people to a room.

When Joyce left the Netherlands, she thought she would never see her family and friends again.

After two weeks in the Toronto suburb of “Thistletown” (now Malton), the family moved to Walkerton, and Willem went to work for a mink farmer. At the same time, he studied for his registered industrial accountant degree at McMaster University in Hamilton. In 1957, he became the controller at Larsen and Shaw, and in 1963, he received his degree from McMaster.

Meanwhile, Joyce worked as a secretary at Cunningham Motors and then McDuff Motors in Walkerton. She later worked for the Bruce County Health Unit.

They purchased a cottage in Inverhuron and turned it into a year-round home. Willem retired in the 1990s and they enjoyed travelling to Florida. He also ran a small bookkeeping business at home. They were long-time members of Knox Presbyterian Church, Tiverton, where he was the organist and choir director for many years.

In October, 2009, Joyce moved into Tiverton Park Manor, and a month later, Willem joined her. He died May 31, 2011.

Joyce continues to be active, attending church every Sunday, participating in events at the manor, helping paint a fence, and enjoying time with her family.

She has three sons, Martin, a self-employed financial advisor in Guelph; Bill, who was a first-mate with the Great Lakes Shipping Lines, and lives in Inverhuron; and Harry, who worked as a contractor at Bruce Power, and his wife, Jane, of Kincardine. She also has seven grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

Family and friends celebrated with Joyce at a come-and-go tea, Saturday afternoon, at Tiverton Park Manor. This was followed by a family dinner at the Sure Stay Hotel by Best Western in Kincardine.

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