Sault woman celebrates 100th birthday

Sault resident Elsie Johns is celebrating her 100th birthday today. She was born in McClennen, grew up in Bar River while commuting to the Sault for high school, and except for sojourns due to WWII and her husband's employment, has spent the vast majority of her 100 years in Sault Ste. Marie. 

Here's what grandson Zachary Johns posted today on social media:

Today is a very special day. On this day, 100 years ago, Elsie Anticknap was born. In 1941 at the age of 21, she married Ken Johns, a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force, who she would remain married to for 67 loving years, until his passing at age 91 in 2008. 

They had 5 children, one of which is my grandfather, Alfred T. Johns.

Elsie and Ken (or as I refer to them as Great Grandma and Grandpa Camp, referencing the beautiful year round camp they lived at for years and years in Point Des Chenes) are the epitome of the wisest, loving, caring and just generally greatest grandparents any one could ask for. 

I have been very blessed to have my great grandmother in my life for as long she has. I have more fond memories with her than I can keep track of. Although she wasn’t able to be at our wedding two years ago (logistics would have been difficult), she was in attendance on a hot summer day at my university convocation a few years earlier, at the age of 94. 

She has an overwhelming large family tree, we live all over Canada and the States. To celebrate this monumental birthday, we all came together and submitted videos wishing her happy birthday, since we are unable to easily visit her amongst the covid-19 pandemic.