CORNWALL, Ontario – Born in Marionville ON on April 9, 1912, Imelda is the last surviving member of the 10 children born to Isidore Lavictoire and Célima Belisle.
The family sold the farm and moved to Cornwall when Imelda was quite young. She attended Nativité girls’ school and, upon graduation, worked at the Cotton Mills until she married Eucher Levac on October 12, 1937.
The Levac family lived on a farm in St. Andrews West until Eucher’s health forced them to move their family to Cornwall in 1951, a few months before the birth of their eighth child. Imelda raised her big family and took care of her father-in-law as well as any other family member who needed a place to stay. Her home was known as the “House of Refuge”. She has 14 grandchildren, two step-granddaughters, 24 great-grandchildren and two step-great-grandchildren.
In her younger days, Imelda played the fiddle at weddings and parties. Her hobbies included knitting, making rosary bracelets, reading, and playing bingo. She maintained her own apartment until she was 98years old, them she spent four years with her daughter. She is now a resident of St. Joseph’s Continuing Care Centre, where her family gathered to celebrate her milestone birthday. Imelda attributes her longevity to good genes, (her father lived for 102 years and four months), hard work, an occasional glass of beer, and most importantly, a deep faith in God. Her advice is “Love God and go your way”.
