René Duranceau, 93 years old and still working !

“My desire is to work until 100. I was married for 48 years and my wife died in 1986. I have neither wife nor child. Working here keeps me alive. I’ve been getting up at 6h00 and itching to get here. I love people. On Saturdays and Sundays, I don’t know what to do with myself.”

How does he explain his longevity ? The man pointed towards the sky and thanked “the man at the top. He runs my life. I go to church every Saturday. I don’t do any physical exercise. I go to bed at 8:00 PM. I don’t eat fish, chicken turkey, veal or lamb. I like beef and pork. I cook my meals, do my laundry, my ironing, etc.”

In 1943, 1944 and 1945, René Duranceau also worked as a police officer in LaSalle. “There was only LaSalle Street and we patrolled the area at night. I was making 50 cents an hour. I worked at Standard Brands during the day and was a police officer in the evenings until 23h00.” From 1942 to 1979, he was employed as a machine operator at Standard Brands of LaSalle, a company that manufactured coffee and baking powder. At age 65, he retired and everyone thought it was a much-deserved retirement.

But René Duranceau bucked the trend. “I went to the old City Hall on Strathyre Street to pay my taxes and applied as a guard/monitor. They hired me and I’m still here 28 years later''