98-year-old Grunthal twins happy to still be teasing each other, living next door
Social Sharing
Kay Rempel and Marie Chipilski might be 98 years old, but the identical twins say they still have some growing up to do.
"We should think before we speak," Rempel said.
"That's the problem," Chipilski added without hesitation. "That's why we have to stay here longer."
Cracking jokes, often at each other's expense, comes easily for the bubbly sisters, who say they have the good fortune to live independently but across the hall from each other at a 55-plus residence in Grunthal.
Earlier in the week, the twins were invited to the Manitoba Legislature to mark their 98th birthdays.
Their MLA, Konrad Narth, read a speech, all politicians gave them a standing ovation and the sisters got certificates to recognize nearly a century of living.
WATCH | Twin sisters making wisecracks for 98 years
Narth said the two "firecrackers" are best friends who enjoy joking around.
The twins say they're often complimented for their witty humour from family, friends and even strangers.
"They say we're different — we're foolish," Chipilski said, adding she believes frequent laughter is key to their longevity.
The sisters have also prioritized enjoying life, loving others and their Christian faith, rather than the predictable explanations for a long life, such as regular exercise and a good diet.
"I never did eat healthy," Chipilski said.
The sisters grew up on a family farm near New Bothwell along with 10 Friesen siblings.
The twins always got along smoothly.
"We never fought or anything," Rempel said.
"But now it's a different story," Chipilski quipped.
They later got married and had kids, and their lives took different paths. Chipilski took over the family farm with her husband, while Rempel was busy selling flowers and volunteering at church.
Rempel was the first to move to Grunthal, settling in a 55-plus residence after her husband's health took a turn. Eventually, her neighbour across the hall moved out, and Rempel invited Chipilski to move in.
"I'm sorry I did," Rempel joked.
Both widows have spent more than 20 years living across the hall from each other.
They joke the doors between their rooms are kept shut, but they spend time together daily, trading barbs and watching game shows and cooking shows on television.
"We feel like one," Chipilski said, so much so that "we have never ever given each other a hug."
It would be like hugging yourself, Rempel said: "There's no use."
Although Chipilski is going through cancer treatment, both she and Rempel say they feel great physically. They walk around their homes without assistance, aAnd it helps that they're still sharp mentally.
The sisters say they have more life ahead of them.
"I love my children too much yet," Rempel said.
"I mean, it doesn't matter how much we love them," Chipilski added. "Someday we will go — we all have to go — but I guess God isn't finished with us yet."
They hope to return to the legislature for their 100th birthdays.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
39 minutes ago
- CTV News
Alberta elementary school ditches library and other rooms because of ‘significant growth'
Rocky View Schools says several of its schools, such as Airdrie's École Edwards Elementary, are making changes due to 'significant growth' without provincial support. (File/Google Maps) Parents of a southern Alberta elementary school are being informed of some big changes that could affect their students' learning in the fall. Administration at École Edwards Elementary in Airdrie, Alta., says the school will be adding a grade in September as the institution shifts from a K-5 to a K-6 school. Enrollment will jump from 675 students to approximately 850, according to a letter sent to families on Monday. To accommodate these students, administration said the school's library, music room and wellness centre will all be converted into classroom space. In addition, École Edwards says it will adopt a 'team-teaching' model for some grades, where multiple teachers will teach students in the larger spaces. Administrators said a request to the province was made for modular classrooms but 'was not approved.' 'Nooks and shared spaces' Staff said library books will be moved to different locations throughout the school: five classroom libraries will be created in the new Grade 6 classrooms; a smaller collection of books will be provided to K-3 students; and additional books will be distributed in 'nooks and shared spaces.' 'These changes allow us to meet the instructional needs of our students within our existing footprint, while continuing to prioritize access to quality resources and enriching learning environments,' administrators wrote in the letter. 'Had to be creative' Rocky View Schools (RVS), the board that operates École Edwards, says the changes at the facility are due to an influx of students in the district. A spokesperson for RVS said the board has been trying to make do with available resources. 'RVS has been experiencing significant growth for years without new schools or enough modular classrooms to keep pace,' Tara de Weerd, RVS communications director, said in an email to CTV News Tuesday. 'The government recently approved new schools but with the three to four years it takes to build a school and only five modular classrooms approved this year, schools have had to be creative about balancing space within their schools maximizing every single room.' de Weerd says other schools in the district have had to make similar moves to École Edwards. 'I can assure you our administrators do an excellent job of continuing to prioritize literacy, wellness and other important aspects of student learning,' she said. Meanwhile, École Edwards says classrooms will be packing up and moving to the new spaces throughout June. 'We recognize that change can bring many emotions. Our focus is to ensure all students feel supported, valued and excited about their learning experience at École Edwards,' officials said. CTV News has reached out to Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides' office about these changes.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Donation of Turkish-language books expands Charlottetown library's multilingual collection
Social Sharing The Charlottetown Library Learning Centre has added another language section to its multilingual collection. Dilek Yesil, a member of the Turkish community in P.E.I., donated 20 Turkish-language books of a variety of genres to the library. "It wasn't easy to choose, but there are children's books… there are fictions, poetry and there are authors who are internationally recognized Turkish authors," Yesil said. "We have been living here for five years now, and this Island gave us so many opportunities." Donating books to the library was a way to give back to the community while also honouring the memory of her father, who died of lung cancer 25 years ago. "He valued education and especially new language learning," Yesil said. "There is a saying in Turkish: to speak a new language is to gain a new soul. This is one of the reasons that we donated these books." 'Cultural richness' Before moving to P.E.I., Yesil connected with and started building what was then a rather small Turkish community. Now, there are more than 100 people who are part of that community. "Islanders are not those who [are] born here and raised here. We are also the Islanders who choose to make here as our homes, and we are proud to contribute [to] the cultural richness here," she said. "We know them, so maybe it's a good idea to know us." Yesil said three of the donated books stand out to her as being important contributions: a Turkish edition of Anne of Green Gables, a picture dictionary and a book by the founder of the modern-day republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Meeting the community's needs Until Yesil's donation, the Charlottetown library had no Turkish-language books, said Krystal Dionne, a regional librarian with the P.E.I. Public Library Service. While they've only been on the shelf for a few weeks, some of them have already been borrowed. "I think that the library — as we evolve into these community hubs as we have been doing — it just provides people with exposure to new cultures, new ideas, new information," Dionne said. "This is just another addition to that... way of interacting with our community." The library is always looking to expand its multilingual collection, which currently features about a dozen languages, Dionne said. But material in some languages is easier to access than others, she said, which can make it a bit more challenging to expand the number of multilingual titles compared to English ones. "We're definitely here to serve the entire population, and as our community grows and changes and evolves we want to meet their needs in the best way that we can." Dionne said the library benefits from donations like Yesil's. "To have this addition given to us in such a lovely way is really wonderful to see and it really helps us expand our growing collection," she said.
CBC
4 hours ago
- CBC
Sandy Lake First Nation evacuations continue as major wildfire burns nearby
Hundreds of members of Sandy Lake First Nation have left the remote Oji-Cree community as a major wildfire burns nearby. The evacuation was ordered on Saturday due to the fire known as Red Lake 12. As of Monday, the fire was more than 156,000 hectares in size and not under control. "We're all scared that our community might burn down," said Sandy Lake member Dakota Fiddler during a stopover at the Thunder Bay airport. "I'm scared too, because I have family there." Thunder Bay is acting as a hub for the evacuation, with Sandy Lake members stopping in the city on the way to host cities elsewhere in the province. The Canadian military is assisting with the evacuations. Racheal Anishinabie, manager of Sandy Lake's Mamow Weechiwayin Program, said she and her team have been assisting with the evacuations, as well. "We've actually been helping with Ontario, they're just really short-handed," she said. "So we just pitched in." "What we've been doing is just a lot of collaborating with them, getting people on and off planes, and also taking them to the university hotels," she said. "Some of them have been staying overnight and then they're heading down south to Toronto, Mississauga, Ottawa, Cornwall, all those places." "We've just been supporting that way," Anishinabie said. "We've been feeding them, getting them coffee, taking them for medical assistance." Anishinabie said it's important that evacuees get supports from fellow Sandy Lake members. "A lot of our people have anxiety," she said. "They left our community and they see … a fire right behind the community." "It's really traumatizing for the kids, the adults, the youth, our elders, because that's our home." Evacuations continue elsewhere in the region Red Lake 12 also prompted the evacuation of Deer Lake First Nation last week. "This fire sort of originated quite close to (Deer Lake), so their protections are a little more advanced in terms of what fire suppression has happened around that community, and the structural protection," said Chris Marchand, fire information officer with Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services. Fire suppression and asset protection are underway at Sandy Lake, he said. "Crews of FireRangers are working with the Sandy Lake First Nation Fire Department to deploy fire protection, including sprinklers and hose lines that are fed by pumps throughout the community," he said. "And FireRanger crews are busy setting up a consolidated perimeter line on the west side of the community." Marchand said areas in the northern part of the region haven't seen as much rainfall as the southern parts of northwestern Ontario. That's a particular concern for Webequie First Nation, which has been evacuated due to the Nipigon 5 fire, Marchand said. "That fire … continues to see growth, fortunately away from the community, but they really have seen no rainfall over the past few days, whereas most areas within the northwest have," he said. "Crews there in Webequie are working the sides of the fire closest to the community, and protecting structures with sprinkler systems." Meanwhile, rainfall in the southern parts of northwestern Ontario has helped with dry conditions, Marchand said. "Still lingering, however, are the drought conditions in the soil that will require a lot more rain to bring it back to a state of normalcy," he said. "That moisture deficit in the ground is a concern, as it helps fires to dig in deep and require more time and resources to extinguish, as well as it makes the landscape very receptive to lightning fires." Despite a low fire hazard, a restricted fire zone remains in effect for the southwestern part of the region, including Thunder Bay. Smoke form the region's fires have led to air quality statements and warnings for much of the northwest. As of Monday, air quality warnings were in effect for the Fort Hope, Pickle Lake, Wunnummin Lake and Webequie areas. Dryden, Vermilion Bay, Ear Falls, Pikangikum, Red Lake, Sachigo Lake, Sandy Lake, Sioux Lookout, and surrounding areas, meanwhile, were under special air quality statements.
