For Erik Skold of Green Lake, turning 100 years old on Jan. 30, 2011 was pretty exciting, but not entirely unique for his family of long-lived Swedes.
Erik attributes his longevity to many things, and among them is having a good set of genes.
His family has traced their lineage to one ancestor in the early 1700s who lived to be 101, which was practically unheard of in those early days.
His oldest sister lived to be 99 and he has another in Sweden who is 89 and has a paper route with 200 papers. Making it even more challenging is there are several long stairways for her to climb, he says.
His great grandfather lived a long time, too, and Erik recalls that when the old man was 92, he walked kilometre after kilometre for an entire day, from morning until night, visiting relatives.
Hardiness carried on down to his mom who, when in her mid-70s, taught herself to ride a bike so she could ride the two km back and forth to the local store instead of walking. Erik says she was finding that carrying her groceries home was getting a little too difficult for her and thought a bike would help.
“She took lots of falls, but she kept at it and it worked out well in the end.”
Although a clever man, Erik was forced to quit school early and go to work so he could contribute to the family income.
It wasn’t until 10 years later, after marrying his beloved wife, Gunhild, that he returned to high school, then went on to university to earn a degree in civil engineering.
He later purchased a gas, plumbing and heating business where Gunhild worked by his side as the office clerk, six days a week and 10 hours a day.
Life was always interesting at home, says his daughter, Karin Forbes, who is one of four children born to the couple.
“We always had lots of weird animals around, from turtles to cows.”
In 1956, the couple sold the business in Sweden, uprooted their family, and moved to North Vancouver.
Erik soon found work in the plumbing and heating industry, and when joining the related union, lied about his age.
He declared that he was 10 years younger than was and eventually ended up retiring at the age of 78.
Green Lake drew Erik and Gunhild to its shores in 1961, where they enjoyed outdoor life and involvement with the SPCA.
Gunhild passed away in 2006, just shy of the couple’s 75th wedding anniversary.
An adopted dog and cat are two of his best companions now, and Karin says having to care for the animals helps keep her dad young.
He also cares for himself and still does his own cooking, cleaning and gardening. Karin lives just a few houses away, so she’s always nearby if help is needed.
She supports her dad’s independent living and accompanies him to cultural events, including local theatre productions, which he enjoys very much. Going to the annual firemen’s ball in his community is also important to him, as is attending church every Sunday.
Each June, Erik enters the annual fishing derby on Watch and Green lakes where for years, he has won the prize for being the oldest registrant, Karin says.
“We head out in the morning on Green Lake and usually putt around all day. It doesn’t matter if we don’t catch anything. Dad enjoys it.”
Fishing and hunting have always been his passions and as recently at 2009, Erik shot a deer by himself.
Reading science fiction novels helps to keep the centenarian’s mind sharp and Karin figures he must be the local library’s best customer.
Always having had an interest in the community, Erik is a longtime supporter of the 4-H movement and tries to attend the annual winter banquet in Kamloops each year.
He is a giving man, and on Jan. 30, friends and family gave back to Erik by celebrating his 100th birthday with a party at the 70 Mile Community Hall.
Guests enjoyed a traditional Swedish princess cake filled with custard and strawberries, and topped with whipped cream and marzipan.
As is customary, each of his children presented him with a tulip and sang for him a Swedish birthday song.
Afterwards, they headed over to the local pub for dinner, and as usual, when he goes out to dine, Erik washed it down with a cold beer.
It was a simple pleasure that was very much in keeping with his general lifestyle.
As to living a long and healthy life, Erik says it’s fairly simple.
“Avoid processed food and don’t go overboard one way or another. A happy marriage helps, too.”
