Amherstview Woman Poised to Turn 100 This June

Living through the Great Depression was a life-changing event for Joyce Nicol.

Poised to turn 100 on June 19, 2025, Joyce talks about that time in history as the most significant event in her life.

Speaking from Helen Henderson Care Centre in late May 2025, a long-term care home in Amherstview where she has lived for one-month, the friendly woman admits, “It feels good to be turning 100. I’m still alive. I lived through the Great Depression which was tough. It was hard to get food because we didn’t have any money. We were always hungry.”

Joyce was born on June 19, 1925 in Brantford. When she was a child, she moved to Kingston with her parents so her father could work as a penitentiary guard.

“I remember one Christmas when we didn’t have anything,” she says nostalgically about her childhood. “My father was offered $10 to be a witness at a hanging on Christmas eve. He attended and we had a good Christmas that year.”

A significant period, The Great Depression was the longest and deepest downturn in the history of North America and the modern industrial economy. It lasted more than a decade, beginning in 1929 and ending during World War II in 1941. Interestingly, the slogan most commonly associated with the Great Depression era is "Brother, can you spare a dime?" This phrase encapsulates the despair and the pleading for assistance that was prevalent during this time of economic hardship.

“During the depression, no one worked,” attests Joyce who was only four years old when it started. “Everyone was poor in those days.”

Several years after moving to Kingston, Joyce found work at SEARS, a wine store and an aluminum plant where she met her husband who was an electrician. The couple went on to have three children and Joyce filled her time painting and sewing.

“I used to make some of my own clothes and my children’s clothes,” she says proudly. “I loved cooking and baking.”

Speaking on behalf of Helen Henderson Care Centre, Activity Director Donna Joudoin notes, “Joyce is a nice addition to our home. We are delighted to celebrate her 100th birthday this June. What an incredible milestone!”

Helen Henderson Care Centre is a family-owned and operated home. To learn more about living or working here, please call 613-384-4585.