When it came time for Karel Andre to move into Langley Lodge in downtown Langley City last summer, she didn't have far to go.

Andre had lived in one of the nearby downtown condos for about 25 years, and at a South Langley mobile home park before that.

Andre lived on her own until she was about 99.

And on June 26 of this year, she reached a milestone few do, marking her 100th birthday.

"The girls at the [Langley] lodge said, 'We're going to sing that [Happy Birthday To You] 100 times,'" Andre joked, adding, "I said, 'please don't.'"

Andre noted some of the changes the community has undergone in her time here.

"Langley used to be a little town," she commented.

Andre admitted that one of the biggest changes in society hasn't really had a place in her life: computers.

"I haven't got a clue how to use one," she said.

Born in 1912 in Swift Current, Sask., she became the secretary for the head of Mutual Life of Canada as a young woman.

She moved to B.C. in the early 1930s.

She and her husband Byron married in 1935, and their two daughters and son still live in the Lower Mainland.

Her husband did various jobs, including selling dental equipment, before opening his own industrial business.

The couple found a hobby in travel, taking their trailer all around Canada and many parts of the United States.

"I thought I'd like to travel, so we did a lot," she said.

They also ventured to Europe, New Zealand and Australia.

Andre's other joy was lawn bowling here.

Invariably, people want to know from a centenarian about their secrets to longevity: "Genes, I guess," Andre said.

She had an uncle who was 101, and her parents survived into their 70s and 80s, she said.

Her brother in Saskatchewan is 96 years of age, and like her, is still vibrant.

"He phones me and we compare memories," she quipped.

"I think simply a lot of it is being content," she added.

Her advice for younger people: "Be happy with your work and content in what you are doing."

hcolpitts@langleyadvance.com