Centennial Celebration: N.S. community gathers for veteran's 100th birthday

The party of the century was held Tuesday in Wilmot, N.S., as the community gathered to celebrate the 100th birthday of Tom Franklin.

The Royal Canadian Air Force veteran is a father of two, with three grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Family from as far away as Manitoba came into town for the party at the Wilmot Community Centre.

Annapolis MLA Carman Kerr and 100-year-old Nova Scotia veteran Thomas Archibald Franklin are pictured. (Courtesy: Diane Mestekemper)

There were approximately 120 people in attendance, including Annapolis MLA Carman Kerr.

For the past year, Tom has called the veterans’ wing at Soldier’s Memorial Hospital in Middleton, N.S., home. They held their own party Wednesday to celebrate the milestone birthday.

Born in Digby, N.S., on July 23, 1924, Tom was one of six children. In 1943, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, where he worked as an instrument technician. His RCAF and civilian jobs, and family life, led him to living in all four Atlantic provinces, as well as Quebec and Ontario, before retiring in Wilmot, N.S., in 1974.

The centenarian says the secret to his longevity is simple.

“I live a good, clean life. I don’t smoke. I have maybe one, or two drinks a year. I just take it easy,” he says.

Thomas Archibald Franklin and his friend Allen MacDonald are pictured outside a Tim Hortons in Middleton, N.S., on July 19, 2024. (CTV Atlantic)

“Easy” for Tom doesn’t mean sitting still. On days when the weather is favourable, he takes a mobility scooter with a friend to the nearby Tim Hortons in Middleton.

In fact, Tom drives his scooter to the drive-thru, where someone always offers to buy his Double Double. He then sits in the parking lot, ready to strike up a conversation with friends or strangers.

“The two of us go every day,” explains Tom. “Quite a few people come, stop and talk to us.”

Tom has had a clean bill of health most of his life. At 98, he required surgery after breaking his hip in 2022. His daughter says he shows no signs of memory loss.

“He’s so alert. He’s like the Energizer Bunny, he just keeps going,” explains Diane Mestekemper. “Dad can actually name off the books of the Bible of the Old Testament.”

Thomas Archibald Franklin is turning 100 on July 23, 2024. (Source: Franklin family)

Looking back on his life, Tom says he’s proud.

He met his wife Nina in 1945. She passed away at the age of 93 in 2016.

“I was married for 69 years. We never had a fight. We never went to bed angry,” he says. “I just lived a good, good life. I’m perfectly happy.”

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