They are an elite group of people in their own special club, and according to some of Geauga County’s members, we should listen when told to eat our vegetables.
“You have to have color on your plate,” said 100-year-old Helen Duns on Sept. 28 inside her home at Holly Hill Health Care Residence in Newbury Township.
A rainbow of benefits could come from following Helen and other area centenarians’ lessons as the number of Americans age 100 and older is up by 44 percent since 2000, according to federal health officials.
“The Geauga County Department on Aging does not have all information on Geauga County seniors as our programs and services are ‘opt in’ programs,” said Jessica Boalt, director of the agency. “We are only able to obtain information regarding specific senior related demographics only for those who register with our agency. Based on our current list of registered seniors, we have 12 seniors who are 100 years of age or older.”
Pew Research Center reported the world was home to nearly half a million centenarians in 2015, more than four times as many as in 1990, according to United Nations estimates. And in the United States, there are now 2.2 centenarians per 10,000 people.
“It’s not surprising that many of the seniors and our community live rich lives well into their late 90s and into their 100s,” Boalt said. “Geauga County is a special place. I believe the rural nature of our county along with the wonderful residents who care about one another and the many community organizations who value Geauga’s seniors contribute to the longevity of the seniors in our community.”
Helen Duns, born March 5, 1916
“It’s no different,” Helen said, on turning 100.
The centenarian’s smile filled the sitting room as she spent time with her only child, Will Duns, of Burton, and granddaughter, Debbie Bowman, of Chardon, inside Holly Hill in Newbury.
“In speaking with many seniors, I think genetics plays a big part in living a long life, but I think being able to smile and share that smile with others when times are not so easy makes for a very positive attitude for life,” Bowman said, who works with seniors at The Residence of Chardon. “This is a generation that has lived through some of the hardest times in American history.”
Helen worked in the lamp division at Nela Park and at the restaurant inside Higbee’s. She also said she had never actually obtained her driver’s license.
Her neatly polished nails rested on the arm of her wheelchair as she lifted her other hand to spiff up her coiffed locks.
“She never leaves her room without touching up her hair,” Will added.
Some of Helen’s fondest memories include dancing with her late husband at Euclid Beach Park Ballroom.
A spark of her spunkiness reveals itself when asked to share her secrets to longevity.
“I’m not going to tell,” Helen said.
She continued to live at Chardon’s Wilder Mobile Home Park after her husband’s death.
“I always remember her looking out and counting the streams of vapor tracks from airplanes in the sky or waiving at the neighbors,” Will said.
Helen soon divulged the answer to longevity —“coffee and salads.”
“Or maybe the M & M’s or stashes of hard candies found in her drawers,” added Bowman.
“It’s her positive attitude toward life, sense of humor,” she said. “She’s not a complainer.”
Helen smiled again.
“I love to sit out here,” she said, looking over at her two frequent visitors. “They’re good to me.”
Virginia Christensen, born March 2, 1914
Virginia, 102, graduated from Shaw High School in 1932 and in the early 20s, met her “sweetheart” Bud at a New Year’s Eve party.
“The very next day, he was at my house to ask me out,” Virginia said, adding their first date was going to his home to meet his parents.
The couple married and raised their two sons in East Cleveland, then settled in Chester Township.
She said times were tough during the Depression era, recalling being “very frugal with the coal” they had to shovel into their stove for heat and food they had to ration.
Virginia worked at General Electric, Hickok Electrical Company and Lincoln Electric. Her favorite position was a volunteer at Hillcrest Hospital after she retired.
“I enjoyed helping people,” added Virginia, who now lives at Blossom Hill Healthcare Residence in Huntsburg Township.
“Even today, Virginia’s greatest pleasure and sense of purpose comes from encouraging others,” said Christine Zeitler, Blossom Hill’s director of activities. “She truly enjoys sharing a kind word or lively conversations with anyone that needs a bit of a boost.”
Besides her positivity, her secrets include taking a stand for what you believe in.
“Be feisty,” Virginia said.
“I really had such a good life,” she added, crediting her care at Blossom Hill. “I always want to make sure everything is right, so I’m a fighter.”
Charlotte French, born Oct. 9, 1914
Charlotte, 102, known affectionately by some as “Gee Gee,” is a two-time cancer survivor and also lives at Blossom Hill.
“She has lived a healthy life since the last episode in the 1980s,” Zeitler said.
Her secrets include being a devout Catholic and always trying to eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
“As she got older, she always tried to watch her diet and limited her salt intake, but did enjoy sweets,” said Nita Judd, Charlotte’s granddaughter.
Charlotte and her husband, Wilfred, raised their five children in Geauga County, but later lived in Guerneville, Calif., and Bend, Oregon.
Charlotte has seven great great grandchildren.
Never having a driver’s license, she took the Geauga Transit to senior center activities while living with family in Middlefield, and loved to solve crossword puzzles and read mystery and romance novels, and poetry.
She, too, included dancing the Charleston at Euclid Beach Park, with her father as her dancing partner, as a cherished memory.
Mathilda Kolt, born February 10, 1914
Mathilda, 102, immediately said she was counting the days … to Nov. 8, that is.
“I just want to get to the election,” Mathilda said Sept. 29 inside her home at The Weils of Bainbridge. “I want to vote for Hillary.”
The first president she voted for was Franklin D. Roosevelt.
“A woman president would give me more esteem,” she added. “It makes a woman feel like a heroine. I’m for a woman, of course.”
After meeting Mathilda, proof of her age of 102 soon needed to be verified again at the front desk.
“I lived through suffrage,” Mathilda said, also a life member of Hadassah.
Raised Jewish Orthodox, she credited her longevity to many Kosher practices.
“Lots of fish,” She said. “An apple a day.”
Mathilda proudly said she walked everywhere and never drove a car.
“The Depression was tough,” she said. “We were poor to begin with.”
She credits her “wonderful husband” and father of their children as a big influence on her long, fulfilling life.
“He’s the secret,” she said. “We had a wonderful life.”
She met Alfred at a party.
“We had parties at that time,” Mathilda said.
She held jobs in a knitting factory and a bank.
“I did everything,” she said, then switched the conversation to the benefits of great literature. “I knew the poets … Hawthorne, Longfellow … and still love Shakespeare.”
Kim Padala, activity director at The Weils, said Mathilda is between two novels she picked up recently at the Solon Senior Center.
“She loves playing Mahjong on the computer,” Pidala added. “And chair yoga.”
Another secret to her longevity was a familiar one — “Have a good attitude.”
“The longer you live, the longer you want to live,” Mathilda said. “Growing old is not for sissies. Every morning, I say a prayer, ‘thank you.’”
Mathilda, too, still eats her vegetables.
