‘Take it in stride’: Montreal centenarian shares secrets to a long life

Evelyn Borsuk was surrounded by friends and family on Sunday to mark a milestone birthday.

The Saint-Laurent resident is turning 100.

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Borsuk’s son, Edward, said Evelyn is the longest-living member of the entire family.

For Evelyn, the secret to a long life has less to do with lifestyle habits and more to do with attitude.

“Food isn’t all that important,” she said. “It’s being good with your friends.”

But more importantly, longevity is about not sweating the small stuff.

“I try to be happy with everything and take it in stride,” she said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I try to be happy with everything and take it in stride," she said.

And taking it in stride she was.

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While Evelyn admitted that turning 100 was unusual, in the end, she said, it’s just another fleeting moment.

“I think about it, but then it’s just something else that’s passing by,” she said.

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The most import thing about turning 100 wasn’t the candles on the cake, but the time spent with family.

“As long as I see my family and everybody close to me, I’m happy,” Evelyn said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "As long as I see my family and everybody close to me, I'm happy," Evelyn said.

Her son Edward echoed the sentiment.

“Most families don’t get together often enough as families to express their joy and their love and their feelings and gratitude and all that,” he said. “So we thought it was a great opportunity not only to do that, but to celebrate that milestone again, and make it an enjoyable moment for her.”

Evelyn has spent a lot of her life involved in music and theatre, performing in several Gilbert and Sullivan productions. She is also known for being very involved in her community.