"I've lived here my whole life,"said Roy Ditto of Chester Township.The 93-year-old going on 33 is sprightly as ever, his eyes dancing as the years…
“I’ve lived here my whole life,”said Roy Ditto of Chester Township.
The 93-year-old going on 33 is sprightly as ever, his eyes dancing as the years roll back and he talks about the township’s history.
“Why is Mulberry Road named as such? It’s named that way because a nearby 214-acre farm wanted to raise silkworms and you need mulberry trees for that to happen,” he said.
Last Wednesday, he and his wife, Phyllis, reflected on the township and how it has changed over the past century.
Roy is the most recent recipient of the “Keeper of the Cane,” an honorary cane paying tribute to the township’s elders.
He showed off the cane, of which he is the 22nd owner. The keeper holds the cane as long as he or she is alive, said Chesterland Historical Foundation President Judith Schwed.
Schwed said the cane contains the cane-holder’s name, birthdate and death date on a silver ring at the top. The cane also features names of the 21 past cane-holders, painstakingly inscribed into the silver surface.
A Tip and a Nod to Tradition
On Aug. 27, 1927, Sipha Patterson, then the oldest resident of Chester Township, celebrated her 90th birthday. Her grand-nieces, Blanch Downey Page and Ruby Downey Petersen, presented her with a cane as a birthday gift.
After Patterson died, the cane wound up in the hands of Parley Sherman, who passed away in 1929. For the next 60 years, the Petersen family carried on the tradition until the Chesterland Historical Foundation accepted responsibility of hosting this community tradition in 1985, Schwed said.
“It’s something special,” she added.
On May 23, 2013, Roy took possession of the cane as its 22nd recipient. Schwed said she remembered the event was standing-room only. Relatives flew in from all around the country.
“His grandmother, Linda Jacobs, and his aunt, Mary Wicks Ditto, also were keepers of the cane,” said Phyllis, adding she has been married to Roy for 68 years.
“Actually, 68-and-a-half,” she joked.
Residents nominate candidates, who must be at least 85 years old and a resident of Chester Township for 25 continuous years at the time of their nomination.
Upon receiving the honor, the recipient is presented with the cane at a ceremony and reception at the historical village on Caves Road. The village is a 5-acre park owned by the historical foundation, the president added.
“Our mission is preserving and honoring the history of Chester Township,” she said.
Roy, born in 1921, lived with his grandparents in the center of town after his father passed away in 1929.
He met Phyllis, who hailed from Russell Township, and married her in 1946. They lived in Lake Lucerne in Bainbridge Township briefly, then moved to Chester.
In 1953, they built their current home and added onto it six years later.
He spent most of his life as a carpenter and tradesman. The couple also birthed three children: Peggy Ditto Havlicek, born in 1947, Nancy Ditto Aloi, born in 1948, and Dale Ditto, born in 1959.
“The Ditto family has been here a long time,” Roy said. “I love Chesterland.”
