Walking into Winnifred Bowden’s home in northend Halifax, you may be welcomed by the scent of freshly baked banana muffins or a blueberry loaf.
But one thing is for certain: you’ll hear her singing.
At 94 years young, Bowden used to spend hours baking with a close friend until her friend’s death several years ago. For a time, Bowden stopped baking, but decided to take it up again in memory of her beloved friend.
“It was a joyous time at that time. And I’m still doing it but it’s not the same,” she says.
Three to four hours a day, several days a week, you can find her in the kitchen preparing baked goods for other seniors living in her residence.
They say the goodies fill their bellies with love and her jokes fill their hearts with laughter.
“Oh, it’s great,” says her friend, Ann Duffy. “She bakes often and she shares everything she does. And she also shares her humour which makes us laugh and happy for the day.
Fellow friend Ronald Ranson says the banana muffin is his favourite — as is the companionship.
“She cracks jokes. She makes our day, every day. She comes down, and if you’re having a bad day she makes you laugh,” he says.
Bowden’s son, Paul, gets emotional thinking of her tenacity and spirit.
“To see her active in the way she’s active is really amazing,” he says.
“It goes to show whatever age you are, you can continue to do what you love.”
Although she struggles some days with feelings of sadness and pain from arthritis, she says as long as she’s able to, she’ll keep the baked goods coming even on her bad days.
“I want to keep going until God calls me, right? Although sometimes it gets me down,” she says.
“But when it gets me down, you’ve noticed my table … it’s got flour and everything on it.”