Family and friends gathered at the Villa Retirement Lodge in Midland on Friday to celebrate the 102nd birthday of Marion Clute, a lifelong hockey fan with deep roots in Canada’s favourite sport.
Born and raised in Barrie, Ont., Clute was a schoolteacher at 22 before getting married. Her connection to hockey began early, as her father, Wes Allsopp, spent 25 years managing the Barrie arena. The family also billeted young players from the Barrie Flyers, a farm team for the Boston Bruins, with many of them going on to play in the NHL.
Last year, at 101 years young, Clute joined her grandson, the general manager of the Saginaw Spirit OHL team, at the Memorial Cup celebration in Elmvale, after his team won the cup. Even at 102, Clute remains an avid hockey fan, watching every Saginaw Spirit and Barrie Colts games on television. When they aren’t playing, she tunes in to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In an email to CTV News, Clute’s family wished her a very happy 102nd birthday, adding “we want her to know how much she is an inspiration to all of us, and how grateful we are for her.”
From all of us at CTV News Barrie, happy birthday!
