Chance Encounter Leads to a Lifetime of Love and Family

At 99-years-old, Lakeridge Gardens resident Kay Madill is a bit hard of hearing. However, there is one thing that her family never tires of making sure she hears – and that’s “I love you.” 

Kay, who will join the elite group of centenarians in Canada when she turns 100 this November 7, is not only mother to four girls and one boy, but also grandma and great grandma to 26 children. 

This big, loving family of more than 30 owes its origins to a chance encounter when Kay and her husband Bob were both serving in the Navy during World War II.  

“Mom worked in Payroll in the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS) making up the pay packets with cash for each sailor,” explains Kay’s daughter Marilyn Brewer.  

“Poppa came into the office one day for an advance on his pay, took one look at her, and that was that,” Jennifer says with a laugh.  

Fast forward almost eighty years later – which includes a marriage of 62 years between Kay and Bob before he passed away in 2009 – and Marilyn and her daughter, Jennifer Cooke, are helping to keep these stories alive with Kay. Kay’s room at Lakeridge Gardens includes a large portrait of her late husband, Kay as a young child, as well as other photos of her family. In addition, there are many well-preserved momentos – such as issues of the WRCNS magazine – that are regular topics of conversation.  

Although Kay and Bob initially spent some time out west in Saskatchewan and then in Stouffville when they first moved back to Ontario, the family truly set down roots in Ajax. Kay volunteered as a member of the Ajax Pickering General Hospital (as it was formally known) for more than 25 years, and Marilyn and Jennifer have both delivered their children at the Ajax Pickering Hospital.  

Now, as one of the first residents to move into Lakeridge Gardens after it opened in March 2022, Marilyn shares that Kay continues to “settle in” after living at the former Sunnycrest Nursing Home in Whitby. “The facilities are lovely here and the staff are amazing,” says Marilyn.  

Jennifer adds that “it’s so nice that a lot of the Sunnycrest residents and some of the staff are now here because they’re her friends and it just makes everything seem more home-like.” 

But the most important review is, of course, from Kay herself. When asked what she thinks of living at Lakeridge Gardens, Kay simply replies, “it’s pretty neat.” 

“She truly is the best grandma ever and we’re lucky to have her,” says Jennifer.