Arnprior, Ont. curling icon celebrates 98 years
Isobel Munro hasn't thrown a curling rock in 15 years, but she is still a prominent figure at every bonspiel at the Arnprior Curling Club.
On Saturday, the club celebrated Munro's 98th birthday—every year spent in Arnprior.
"Oh, this is her life," says Steve Munro, Isobel's son.
"She was a member in I believe 1946, so it's been 75 years or more that she's been a member of the curling club."
Munro was a pioneer for the game of curling in the town of Arnprior, winning medals at both the Ontario and Canadian Curling Championships during her sporting career.
"It just started to be a fun game," Munro tells CTV News.
"It was a big thrill because we didn't expect we were going to do things like that."
Her love of the game has been injected into the Munro DNA.
"She curled, we grew up at the curling rink, our father curled in Parry Sound, we grew up watching him," recalls Munro's granddaughter Holly Lopez. "We played competitively in high school."
Lopez says her grandmother never played the game for the glory. It was all in the love of the sport.
"She always talks about having a good attitude and you're always there with the team," said Lopez. "It's not about the individual, it's about the team."
"I like it because it's a team game," says Munro. "One person doesn't go anywhere without the other one."
Over her decades of service to the Arnprior Curling Club, the local icon has done every job available in the building, from cooking in the kitchen to holding the title as president.
Current club president Mike Reid says, despite being named a lifetime member decades ago, Munro continues to pay her club fees.
"She's served us in many ways," Reid said. "She's donated to our programs. We recently purchased all these curling rocks and she's donated to that program."
A curling rock with Isobel Munro's name on it at the Arnprior Curling Club. (Dylan Dyson/CTV News Ottawa)
After 15 years of being out of the sport, Munro says she still misses the game and would get out on the ice if she could and her hip hadn't needed replacing.
The foundations of what the curling club is today is built on Munro's curling rocks.
"She loves this town," says Lopez.
"She supports everything the town does and the town shows their love back."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Hamas says latest ceasefire talks have ended. Israel vows military operation in 'very near future'
The latest round of Gaza cease-fire talks ended in Cairo after "in-depth and serious discussions,"{ the Hamas militant group said Sunday, reiterating key demands that Israel again rejected.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
B.C. man wants homes for thousands of books he soon won't be able to read
In the 10 years since John William started to lose his vision, he's been finding new ways to enjoy his vast personal library.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Trudeau 'absolutely' best person to lead the Liberals in next election: LeBlanc insists
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc insists he's not planning a leadership campaign to head the Liberal party, should current leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resign, seemingly quashing rumours he's planning to make a move for his boss' job.
Bombarded with spam texts? Stats show the problem is getting worse in Canada
In particular, messages that involve phishing — an attack where a scammer tries to trick the recipient into clicking a malicious link, downloading malware or sharing sensitive information — are on the rise.
opinion You don't need to be an influencer to earn income from social media
How legitimate are claims by some content creators that the average person can earn passive income from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram? Personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says it's quite possible, if you're willing to put in the initial time and effort.
William Shatner says he would consider 'Star Trek' return: 'Here comes Captain Kirk!'
The Montreal-born actor, famed for his portrayal of Captain Kirk in "Star Trek," says he is open to reprising the iconic role in the sci-fi franchise as long as the storytelling is stellar.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.