Like any other church, Knox, St. Thomas, Ont., values all its members and adherents. Age or tenure matter not – we simply enjoy having everyone with us each week. However, at the beginning of last summer, it came to our attention in rather short order that we had two very remarkable women in our midst.
Two of our members were both over 100 years of age. Now, I admit that I don't have any data on the odds of something like that happening but it seems quite extraordinary to me. We have been blessed to have these two gracious ladies with us for an incredible length of time.
Marguerite Young
Clara Underhill
Marguerite Young was born on Dec. 11, 1902 in South Yarmouth Township near St. Thomas, Ontario. A farm girl, she had three younger brothers and certainly seems to have enjoyed her formative years. Marguerite married J. Gowan Young in 1931 and they had two children, James Gowan and Claire (Dunan) Young. Marguerite is blessed with two grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
Marguerite and her husband joined Knox Church in 1938 and she remains active in several of the groups in the church such as the Presbyterian Women and the WMS. She's a truly amazing lady and rarely misses the Sunday morning service.
Clara Underhill was born on July 3, 1903 in South Woodslee. She and her husband Ottie were married in 1923 and settled down to farming. Together, they raised their daughter Barbara (Blewett) and celebrated 72 years of wedded bliss.
Clara was an enthusiastic supporter of the church, particularly enjoying the music program. Her motto was always to "work hard to accomplish your dreams" and she did just that. Sadly, Clara passed away this past November and is deeply missed by her family and her many friends whose lives she touched.
