This 100-year-old Quebecer is still volunteering in his community and has no plans to stop
CBC
Sitting on his couch in his family home where he has lived alone for upward of 15 years, Louis Pagé let out a laugh thinking about how his friends and family consistently check in to "make sure that I'm still alive."
"I forget about my age until somebody reminds me," Pagé said with a chuckle. "All the neighbours are good to me."
On Feb. 22, he celebrated his 100th birthday with a party of 70 neighbours and friends. But the native of Brome Lake, Que., in Quebec's Eastern Townships, says he has no plans to slow down.
He's been working with the Brome Lake Food Bank since the 1980s and later became the treasurer. Pagé has also been involved with Meals on Wheels and says he's still available to deliver food, if needed.
A fixture of his community, Pagé says he plans on continuing his volunteer work — until he can't.
"It gets me out … Sometimes you meet people and you have a little visit and I enjoy it," said Pagé.
Gary Crandall, who's the co-ordinator at the food bank and Meals on Wheels in Lac Brome and West Bolton and also Pagé's neighbour and cousin, says Pagé also took on the treasurer's role in the 90s.
"He keeps a mean set of books, let me tell you, And every cent is accounted for and the bills come in and they're paid pronto. There's no fooling around."
Crandall says Pagé is certainly their oldest driver and has been willing to drive farther than some other volunteers.
He says sometimes, Pagé's age has come as a surprise to some elderly clients — many of whom are actually quite a bit younger than him.
"They laugh at him quite a bit because here he is at 100, delivering meals to these other people," said Crandall.
He says approaching his birthday, Pagé got a bit nervous about renewing his licence — he had to take a medical exam and have his eyesight tested a month before his 100th birthday.
"The doctor said in spite of my age I can still drive," said Pagé.
He says his days generally consist of reading the paper, stopping by the bank to make deposits for the food bank and balancing the books — all by hand.
