Linda Yale

BIOGRAPHY

Yale was born as Linda Florence Hastings Smith in Montréal, Québec, on 28 December 1912 as the daughter of U. K. immigrants. Her elder sister was born in Britain, and she had a younger sister born in Montréal. At the age of seven, she started playing cribbage.

In the 1930s, Yale was the only female fencer in the province, and regularly competed against men. She was also the only woman in the cross-country skiing team. Later, she worked as a bookkeeper.

Following her marriage, Yale and her husband moved to British Columbia, eventually settling in Richmond in 1969. They had several children, including daughter Linda Jr. When she was 51, Yale broke her back in a skiing accident and suffered with chronic pain for the rest of her life.

Yale enjoyed travelling, having visited Europe 23 times in the space of a decade; particularly enjoying her visits to her daughter and son-in-law in the Netherlands. A fan of birdwatching, she put a bird feeder on her balcony to attract hummingbirds.

Shortly before turning 107, Yale scored a perfect cribbage hand of 29 points. In her later years, she was an avid quilter and keen philanthropist; she frequently donated quilts to the less fortunate of the area, and was described by her daughter as “tough and determined.” At the age of 111, she could still walk with the aid of a walker.

Yale died in Richmond, British Columbia on 11 March 2024 at the age of 111 years, 74 days. She was survived by numerous descendants, including children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

RECOGNITION

Following the death of 113-year-old Mabel Mah on 30 January 2024, Yale became British Columbia’s oldest known resident. Upon her own death, the title may have passed to Flora Wallin, 110.

Yale’s age was verified by Stefan Maglov and Marco Wikkerink, and was validated by LongeviQuest on 3 July 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

• Richmond’s oldest resident breezes into her 111th birthday Richmond News, 2 January 2024

GALLERY

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