At 99 years old, Kathryn Groshong returned to Torquay to sing once again, taking part in the community’s centennial celebration.
“It was wonderful to come back to Torquay,” she said. “We retired to Weyburn and I’m still there. But when we were at Torquay, our whole family was involved in the music. We were singing in the choir and taking part in musicals. Torquay just seemed to have so much talent.”
Groshong was recognized alongside other seniors aged 90 and up during the weekend’s formal program. Each was presented with a long-stemmed rose.
“We are indebted to our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, who have been pioneers in the community of Torquay,” said Cindi Daae during the program. “Kathryn Groshong, who turned 99 in May, is one of those we’re proud to have with us today.”
Groshong performed two original songs that she co-wrote with her late husband, Fred. The first, Celebrate Saskatchewan, was written for the province’s 70th anniversary in 1980. The second, Celebrate Centennial, was originally written for a 2012 festival and adapted for Torquay’s 100th anniversary.
“Fred started playing a tune on the accordion one night, and I had never heard it,” she told the crowd. “I asked what he was playing, and he said he was making it up. We put our heads together, wrote out the music and lyrics, and that’s how the song came to be.”
Music was always part of their lives. “We always had music,” said Groshong. “Fred and I sang together, and our children were always part of it too.”
During the weekend, Groshong reunited with people she had not seen in decades.
“I’ve met so many people that I knew 10 years ago, 20, some even 40 or 50 years ago here,” she said.
She also reflected on how the community has changed since she lived there.
“For Torquay, no school,” she said. “They had such a wonderful school when our kids graduated. They had band and sports, and all kinds of music. It would be nice if they had at least some elementary here. But I have great-grandkids going on the school bus to Estevan, and they seem to be making out well.”
Her roots in the area run deep. Groshong told the crowd how the Groshong family arrived in the area in 1905. She married Fred in 1945 and said they shared 74 years of marriage. One of her fond memories was from shortly after the wedding, when they had just moved to a small farm west of town.
“We saw lights coming up the road, which was unusual,” she said. “It was the Salem ladies with their husbands coming to give us a bridal shower. They brought food and a big cookie pail. The house wasn’t very big, but it was a great celebration. A real welcome to the community.”
Groshong’s connection to music began early. She grew up in Oungre, where her family ran the first post office and general store. She discovered she could play piano by ear, and by 10, she was playing for Sunday school. By 13, she was playing for the church.
“My dad helped me through the nerves,” she said. “He told me, if you get off time, I’ll sing you out of it and get you back on. And he did.”
Groshong went on to play for church services for more than 60 years, from the time she was called to the United Church in Long Creek in 1950 until 2003.
In her 70s, she took on another challenge: competitive swimming. She began with just one stroke, expecting only to participate in local events, but soon found herself competing provincially and nationally.
“I was 70 when I got into it,” she said. “I went to the Yukon, to Manitoba, Alberta. I got two gold and two bronze. Weyburn even put me on their Walk of Fame. It all started here.”
Groshong credits swimming with helping her recover from a broken hip and alleviating years of arthritis pain.
“The girls showed me how to do the backstroke properly,” she said. “And two truer words were never spoken. It helped my neck like you wouldn’t believe. I really believe in swimming.”
Today, Groshong is still sharing her gifts. She performs at care homes, singing songs like Take Me Out to the Ball Game and She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain. She said people often join in during the chorus, and she’s glad she can continue to bring people together through music.
After the centennial, Groshong planned to travel to Alberta to attend her grandson’s wedding, where she would serve as a witness. She was also looking forward to a two-and-a-half-week holiday visiting her family.
And in the middle of it all, she found time to sing again in Torquay.
“Sometimes I think, oh my, what did I get into now?” she said with a smile. “But I’m thankful. I’m thankful for the music, the memories and the people.”