This 100-year-old has done everything from farming to fish plant work — while raising 25 kids
Angela Quinlan has just turned 100. If raising kids ages you, though, she must be well beyond that.
Over that century, Quinlan has fostered 25 children — raising them right from early childhood through to young adulthood.
And she did it all in a four-bedroom home.
"Kids just kept coming and coming," she said. "It just happened. People knew we had taken children in so if something came up they would come with us. I had kids outside our 25, who were there for a few months, depending on the case, but for the most part, when they came here they were here for the long haul."
The story of Quinlan the mother begins in Chapel's Cove, where she was — fittingly — surrounded by children, in a house with her mother, father, nine sisters and two brothers.
Her father died when Quinlan was young, and she began working at age 11 to help make ends meet, by babysitting for family friends. There, she learned independence and the value of hard work. They even taught her how to make bread.
When she turned 18, she moved to Argentia to work in a restaurant during the Second World War.
"I ended up working in a restaurant that was located on the base and back then life was different," she said. "We worked at night so it was very dark and all the windows were painted black. It was a distinct time, though my sisters came too, so I wasn't alone."
After that, she moved to St. John's, where she started doing domestic work for $5 a month.
"It doesn't seem like a lot of money but it was enough to keep me going," said Quinlan. "I wanted to help people, I liked to take care of people, it was something I was good at."
She moved to Holyrood to work for a couple, where — after 10 years — she married their son Leo.
"We got married in his parent's house, which eventually became our house as well," said Quinlan.
"We were married on Jan. 11, 1952, and the reason we were married in his parent's home was due to the fact his mother couldn't leave and we wanted her to be a part of our special day."
The pair couldn't have kids, though, so they began to look at alternatives.
"We had an empty house with no kids of our own," said Quinlan. "With that said, there were always kids in the house. Whether it be a niece or friends, they were always around.
"After we found out I couldn't have kids, an opportunity presented itself, and someone asked me to take in their kids, they bonded to me and that's how I became a mom."
Those two led to 23 more.
Then, when they were both in their 50s, Quinlan's husband suffered a heart attack. After 25 years of working as a heavy equipment operator, he had to step away.
That's when the couple began farming.
Quinlan, who wanted to ensure her husband didn't suffer another heart attack, took on most of the work herself. She ran the farm with two horses, several cows, calves, goats, sheep, lambs, kids, pigs, chickens, turkeys and geese. She would milk the cows for fresh milk, butter and cream. She had fresh eggs, gardens of fresh vegetables, tended to the hay fields and plowed the gardens.
"I am a jack of all trades," said Quinlan. "Though all the children helped out with work. We had all sorts of animals which I took care of, I even helped birth some calves. I've built fences for acres of land and fixed roofs. I didn't want to risk my husband's health, I wouldn't let him do any of it. Farming worked for us well and oddly enough it became part of who I was."
Aside from her farm work, Quinlan had many career avenues that she explored: picking and selling berries for Tim Hortons, working in a fish plant, and growing and selling her greens.
"Although most of my life consisted of me working, I did like to enjoy myself, too," said Quinlan. "I loved going to bingo and darts, attending weddings, showers, going out for dinner and card games, and got to travel in my later years. When the work started to slow down, I became a huge traveller."
Though her life has been eventful and forever changing, her favourite part of it all, or the portion she considers most rewarding is being a parent.
To this day she still maintains a relationship with each child. She is proud of every single one and wishes them nothing but success and fortune in their future.
"I turned 100 about a month ago now," said Quinlan. "Each of my children reached out to me and each of them gave me $100. I am fortunate to have been a part of their lives and I am still very fortunate to continue playing a role in their lives, I have all kinds of letters and calls from them and to me, nothing has changed, they still are and always will be my children."
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