Melvina Hart has outlived the average Canadian by more than a decade. But longevity isn’t what makes the Edmonton senior so remarkable; it’s the generations of women her life has inspired.
Melvina is the matriarch of her family. Around the table at her 93th birthday party sit her 69-year-old daughter Lorraine, 50-year-old granddaughter Shauna, 24-year-old great granddaughter Danielle and the newest arrival: her seven-week-old, great great granddaughter Charlotte.
“I guess we all like girls!”
Melvina’s great granddaughter, Danielle, says bringing Charlotte into a world with so many caring women has been amazing.
“She’s going to benefit from having constant love and support and her family always around,” Danielle said. “We took her out for family five-generation pictures when she was five days old and just seeing my nanny’s face brighten up – We got a picture of it and it’s honestly one of my favourite pictures I’ve ever had in my life.”
Danielle’s mother Shauna has the sweet spot: right in the middle of the multi-generation family. She became a grandma while her own grandmother is still living.
“My mom and I try to get in to see her once a week, religiously,” Shauna said. “I call her every day – sometimes two, three, four times a day – so communication has always been really, really good.”
“At the end of the day, all you have is family so I think that’s important.”
Melvina isn’t aware of another family with five generations of females, nor does she know what’s behind all the estrogen.
“This is really something,” she said. “Just doesn’t happen very often.”
After the Global News story aired, another family contacted us to share their five-generations of “wonderful women in Hay River, NT.”
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