Happy Birthday Vi.

Vi Harasym was born on Armistice Day, the day that World War I ended, November 11, 1918. She has just celebrated her 98th birthday and is going strong! And she loves her Tai Chi class with instructor Hiromi McPhail at Oak Park Retirement Community.

She was born on a farm in Manitoba, eight miles from the closest town. In those days, this meant a youth that included poverty, horse and buggy transport and a one room country school three miles from the farm.

She prevailed over her circumstances and eventually studied to become a nurse. Nursing was her career for over 40 years, while at the same time she married and with her husband, raised four children, offering them all the opportunities that she thought she had missed. Her grandson is continuing in the medical profession, training to be a medical doctor.

When asked, her key to a good life would be dancing – dancing kept her fit and happy. She has country danced, square danced, belly danced, step danced and most of all, ballroom danced with her husband. She has passed on this love of dancing to all her children and her grandson. She still manages a step or two with her walker when the music is right.

written by her daughters Willa and Lotta