Women honored on shared 100th birthday

WAYLAND — Parkview Home celebrated exactly 300 years of life lived, Thursday, June 22 with a birthday party for 100-year-old residents Mary Olson and Betty Messer, 89-year-old resident Etta Wakeland, and regular visitor 11-year-old dog, Ticker.

According to Parkview Executive Director Ron Semler, Mary Olson and Betty Messer were both born June 22, 1923, and celebrated their 100th birthdays this year at Parkview despite growing up in completely different communities.

Betty shared that grew up not too far away from Wayland in the Brighton community, while Mary’s family said she spent much of her life in Galesburg, Illinois, but both now reside in the tight-knit community of Wayland close to family and friends.

“I asked her to come here, and we could visit her every day,” Mary’s nephew David Shreeves said.

“What are the offs of two people being born on June 22, 1923, both making it to 100 years old, and living in the same place?” Semler asked.

Parkview pulled out all the stops as they celebrated Betty, Mary, Etta, and Ticker on this unique occasion.

“We had our administrator Ron as an Elvis impersonator,” Activity Director Jerilyn Winga said. “We have photo boards of the three residents. They shared memories and we handed the microphone around for others to share, too.”

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According to Semler, this is not his only gig as an Elvis impersonator. He regularly provides Elvis entertainment on the weekends, so Parkview residents and guests received a professional level performance from the administrator.

The celebrations also included the Wayland Mayor proclaiming June 22 “Betty and Mary Day,” and special letters from the Governor’s Office.

While all the ladies enjoyed the festivities and snacks, Etta said her favorite part of celebrating her 89 years of life was simply “sitting around and visiting,” with family and friends.

The birthday women enjoyed visits from family as far away as Seattle and Chicago for the special occasion. They also enjoyed seeing a regular visitor and co-birthday lady, Ticker.

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“We’ve been visiting Mary and Etta and Betty for a long time,” Ticker’s owner Russell Woods said. “The other day, a couple months ago, they said [Ticker’s] birthday was the 22nd and Etta says hers is too.”

Ticker, a Springer Spaniel with a heart shaped spot on her side, has visited with each of the ladies for many years.

“Ticker has been visiting rest homes since she was a puppy,” Woods said. “She has been visiting here since she was a puppy, and my mom was over here.”

The three women smiled wide as they welcomed Ticker to sit with them for a birthday photo and they waited for their ride in the limousine.

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As guests milled around sharing memories and snapping photos, Mary sat contentedly on the couch with her birthday buddies and shared that today still somehow left much like any other day she has lived in her 36,525 days of life.

“Truthfully, I didn’t think much about it,” Mary said of turning 100. “It’s another day, and I lived through it.”

“I don’t feel any older,” Betty also shared as she enjoyed a moment with her son Gary Messer. “I don’t think much about it, I guess.”

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“I really never thought much about age,” Mary added. “I don’t feel any different than I did at 99. I really have never paid that much attention to how close I am to 100 or anything. It never bothered me.”

According to her nephew David Shreeves, Mary says the key to reaching an impressive 100 years old is to simply take it one day at a time.

That’s what each of these women has done.

June 22, they did not celebrate reaching 100 years, but instead, they found joy in simply celebrating one more day here with their loved ones.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com