The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, December 10, 2015 | 8 Popplewell, 100, remembers when first OTMH was a field by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff Margaret Popplewell may be 100, but her family can attest to the fact she remains sharp as a tack. Her son, daughter, two grandchildren, five great grandchildren and some good friends gathered at her 100th birthday celebration at Delmanor Glen Abbey retirement residence Saturday (Dec. 5) to reminisce with Popplewell, celebrate her life and treat her with flowers and presents. On the Monday after the celebrations, and a day before her actual birthday on Dec. 8, Popplewell told the Oakville Beaver how happy she was to see her whole family gather to mark the milestone. Sitting in an armchair, birthday cards and flowers still surrounding her, Popplewell said it was nice to see how much her great grandchildren have grown, commenting on how cute her granddaughter's two little boys were in their white shirts and ties. "The birthday party was great. My whole family was all there and a few friends from church. It was nice," she said. Nearby, on a side table, are letters from Queen Elizabeth and Governor General David Johnston wishing her a happy 100th birthday. On a couch nearby is a National Hockey League Toronto Maple Leafs jersey embossed with her name and age -- she tells the Oakville Beaver she's not much of a hockey fan as much is she's a baseball fan, but her grandson bought her the gift as a joke. Popplewell described how she grew up on a farm in the Oakville area on Seventh Line, which is now Trafalgar Road. Family and friends of Margaret Popplewell, who turned 100 Tuesday (Dec. 8), threw a birthday party for her Saturday afternoon at her retirement residence. Pictured, Margaret with one of the many cards she received and a wedding day photo from Nov. 28, 1941 of herself and late husband Bob. | photo by Graham Paine ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_ photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) She was the fifth child to be born to John and Sarah Picket and of her four sisters, and Our Services Earn 20% credit from physiotherapy · Massage · Acupuncture · Reflexology · Chinese Massage · Fertility Acupuncture · Physiotherapy · · · · 1395 Abbeywood Drive, Unit 14, Oakville Open 7 days a week five brothers, she is the only surviving sibling. She said she met her husband, Edgar Raymond (`Bob') Popplewell, on a blind date and married him in 1941. They had two children, bought their first home in 1950 and were married 64 years before Edgar's death in 2005 at the age of 93. Their marriage was successful, she said, because they worked together and simply got along. For years, Popplewell said she helped keep his books in order at his shop, Bob's Garage on Speers Road, and much of her retired life was spent helping out at St. Paul's United Church and as member of the Order of the Eastern Star. But before Popplewell took over the accounting at her husband's garage, she worked long hours as a nurse. In 1938, she began nursing school at Hamilton General and through her studies met King George VI and Queen Mother. After graduating in 1942, she worked at the temporary hospital on First Street in Oakville for years. "I worked there for a few years and I think I got more experience there than anywhere else," she said, noting she spent about 10 years of her career as a nurse. "I think we had about four doctors in town at that time." During those years, her son Raymond Popplewell was born in 1943 at a house on the corner of Allan Street and MacDonald Road, which was owned by two nurses, while her daughter Susan Popplewell was born in 1949 at Hamilton General. Popplewell added she remembers when Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) on Reynolds Street was just a field and also the time she later spent there as a substitute nurse working 12hour shifts. "We were all excited about it, too, when it was first built," she said, noting how there is a lot of excitement around the new hospital set to open at Third Line and Dundas Street. "Things have sure changed," said Popplewell. Although she's seen the new hospital many times, she has yet to tour the facility. These days, she said she enjoys playing cards and seeing her family when they come to visit. Her son, who lives in Kitchener, often takes her on drives around Oakville, and she said she can hardly believe how much it has grown. "I've enjoyed living here," she said, noting her first home on Carolyn Drive was a nice bungalow in a quite area that didn't get a lot of traffic. Popplewell said it was sold in 2005 and since then, a second storey has been added to it. "I can't believe what is going on. I think I'd get lost in this place (Oakville) now," she said. Asked the secret to living to 100 was, Popplewell shared there isn't one. She hasn't paid any close attention to her age. She just keeps living from one day to the next, she said. Popplewell said she often wonders if any of her classmates from Oakville Trafalgar High School are still around in Oakville like herself. She said it would be nice to connect with them. Popplewell said her proudest moment in her 100 years was raising her family. She has only one regret though, and it's that she didn't pay more attention to her father and mother. "They didn't have it easy with 10 children," she said, noting she feels people often take their parents for granted. "We never had electricity or even a bathroom when we were kids. Everything was hard." www.oakville.ca Senior tickets and all paper monthly passes will be discontinued as of January 1, 2016. *Does not apply to care-A-van or special purpose tickets. The sale of senior tickets* and all paper monthly passes will end on December 31, 2015. Any remaining tickets can be used through to April 30, 2016. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. Ride often? Now that all monthly passes are available on PRESTO, the loyalty program will also end on December 31, 2015. For the most value, load a monthly pass onto your PRESTO card to ride as often as you want. For more information Call 905-815-2020 or visit oakvilletransit.ca.