Niverville’s oldest resident, Jacob Falk, turned 103 on June 26 and his family marked the occasion by throwing him a party worthy of a man celebrating more than a century of life.
The extended Falk clan gathered at Whitetail Meadow on his birthday, with all his children in attendance as well as most of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Falk’s daughter-in-law Anne Falk says that Jacob loves celebrations like one. Over the past year, he’s also been able to join in the fun at the weddings of two of his great-granddaughters.
As if that wasn’t enough excitement for the centenarian, he has participated in the Niverville Olde Tyme Country Fair parade for the last two years as the oldest man in town.
Celebrating at Whitetail Meadow was especially thrilling for Falk, as it was his original that now forms the main structure of the event venue. Falk is very proud that his barn has been repurposed in this way.
He was very pleased when Dave Neufeld, one of the owners of Whitetail Meadow, personally came by to wish him a happy birthday.
Falk was born in Russia in 1920. By the time he was nine years old, his father had passed away and Falk, his siblings, and his mother decided to emigrate to Canada. The Mennonite Central Committee sponsored the Falk family, which allowed them to settle on a farm near Niverville.
Falk grew up in this area and stayed here for his entire life. He wed Elnora (née Rempel) and the couple began their family. The Falks had been married for 48 years at the time of Elnora’s passing in 1994.
Jacob and Elnora had five children. Those children collectively have blessed Jacob with 13 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren.
Falk now resides at the Heritage Life Personal Care Home and Anne says that he feels loved and cared for by the staff there.
It is noteworthy that only .03 percent of Canadians survive past their one hundredth birthday—and of those, a recent report reveals that only 17.25 percent of them are male.1 Currently, there are estimated to be 2,619 centenarian men in all of the country, according to Stats Canada, and only 104 in Manitoba. This puts Falk in rarefied company!
