BIOGRAPHY

Olinda Mascarin was born in Chions, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy, on 4 December 1909. Growing up as the oldest of 10 children on a farm, she left school after third grade to work, which included the demanding task of loading bricks.

In 1959, she moved to Canada, to join her husband Giovanni (John). She raised four children (Nives, Enzo, Maria Pia, and Claudia) and, for a time, served as the cook and housekeeper for the priests at St. Angela Merici Church in Windsor. She was widowed in 1983. At the age of 100, she moved to the Seasons Royal Oak Village retirement home in LaSalle.

Mascarin loved pasta, red wine, and fruit, and in her later years, enjoyed bacon and eggs every morning. By that time, she had cut back on Italian liqueur and credited her longevity to eating three meals a day and a lifetime of hard work. At 109, she no longer spoke English and refused to wear hearing aids. She used a walker to get around her retirement home and continued climbing stairs until about a year prior. Remarkably, she took only one pill each day for blood pressure. At that time, two of her sisters, Maria and Regina, aged 94 and 84, were still alive in Italy. She also had a brother in Leamington and another in Italy, both of whom passed away in their 90s. She celebrated her 110th birthday surrounded by family at Huron Lodge, where she had recently become a resident in assisted living.

Mascarin passed away on 30 November 2020, at the age of 110 years, 362 days. She was survived by two of her children, nine grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.

RECOGNITION

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* “At 109, LaSalle woman believed to be oldest local resident” – Windsor Star, 4 December 2018

* “Windsor woman celebrates 110th birthday” – Windsor Star, 4 December 2019

* Obituary Overview Olinda Mascarin – Arbor Memorial

GALLERY