VANCOUVER -- If the key to a long life is staying active as you age, then bowling is Ethel Morley's fountain of youth.

The Vancouver resident turned 100 on Saturday, surrounded by friends and family at Commodore Lanes, where she's a dedicated member of the league.

"Last Monday, it was snowing out," recalled league manager Ken Hayden. "We have about 40 people in the league. It starts at 1 o'clock. I look over, and who is coming down the stairs, but Ethel?"

"Half the people half her age couldn't make it, but Ethel managed to make it here on the bus."

Morley's daughter Toni Crittenden was among those there in slightly nicer weather on Saturday to celebrate her milestone. Crittenden said relatives made the trip from Manitoba, Calgary, and even California for the occasion.

"We've watched her and we've been amazed at every birthday that she's still bowling," Crittenden said. "It's pretty inspiring."

Morley said it's "wonderful" to reach the century mark, though it was unexpected. Her husband Walter died in 1997, after 58 years of marriage.

Her great-grandson now bears her late husband's name. And little Walter is already starting to show an interest in the game, according to his father.

"I think he might be following in his great grandma's footsteps," said Neal Pickering, Morley's grandson. "He's really getting into it. He's got some little plastic bowling pins."

Pickering said he hopes he got his grandmother's genes when it comes to longevity, but she says the secret isn't genetics.

"If there's any secret to aging, it's bowling," Morley said. "I like the people that come in, the friendship with all the people that bowl. It’s good exercise."

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Allison Hurst.