Heart of gold

Heart of gold
Dear sir:
Nellie is the youngest of seven girls. An older sister residing in Brandon, Man. turned 96 last month and her older, older sister will reach her 100th birthday Dec. 4.
She recently moved to Fort Frances from Edmonton—a 22-hour drive that she said was hard on her legs, but certainly not on her compassionate heart.
Nellie called just before supper a few weeks ago saying she wanted to make a donation to be used to buy “bag tags” for David’s Deli. She had called previously but was unable to reach me.
She told me that if I could come right over, she would give me a cheque to enable the deli to buy 100 bag tags.
Arriving at her door less than 15 minutes later, I met a cheerful, spry lady whose only concession to being 93 years old is a walker that helps her get around the apartment.
Nellie is a marvelous bundle of energy with a memory equal to, or better than, someone half her age. I would never have guessed her age had she not told me on the phone.
She sat down in her favourite chair after seating me at the kitchen table. For almost three-quarters of an hour, Nellie shared portions of her exciting life—mainly the good times, with a sprinkling of the sadder moments.
Her decision to help David’s Deli solve the garbage disposal problem began when she read my letter to the editor in the Times a few weeks ago and was reinforced by the front page story in the Sept. 21 edition of the Daily Bulletin.
Our conversation covered not only the past, but also the present and future. Next month, Nellie hopes to have cataract surgery enabling her to start knitting again. She also has plans to grow more vegetables in the front flower bed next year.
Nellie has a soft spot in her heart for those who need a helping hand, combined with a unique sense of humour. She told me about a relative who lived with her and her late husband for more than four decades.
Much to her chagrin, their long-time guest smoked and one day was searching for cigarettes. Nellie produced a package containing four smokes, cut each into two announcing that he now had eight.
Her sense of humour, vitality, and joy of life is captivating. Sadly, I had to take my leave and thanked Nellie for the donation, promising to immediately deliver the cheque to Pastor Sandy at Joy of Life Fellowship, which hosts David’s Deli.
Although help from Fort Frances town council definitely would assist the operation of David’s Deli, and certainly would be welcomed, support from compassionate, caring individuals such as Nellie has so much more meaning.
Thank you, Nellie.
Signed,
Bud Edwards
Fort Frances, Ont.