Please join us in celebrating the 101st birthday of Marie K., a resident of Arbor Terrace Hamilton Mill Independent Living!
Born Sept. 28, 1919, Marie remembers the Great Depression clearly – “horrible” is her word for that difficult time. Her mother divorced when she was young and had to go to work, so Marie and her two brothers lived in an orphanage for three years. Thankfully, when Marie was 12, her mother remarried and was able to reunite with her children.
After graduating from high school, Marie worked briefly in a factory, where she met her husband. By age 17, she was married and a mother. By age 42, she had eight children and loved every minute of her career as a mom and homemaker.
When World War II began, her husband worked in a silver factory that made materials to supply the war. Her brother served in the military.
“We had coupon books for rations during the war,” Marie recalled. “I would go to the store and shop for our rations. We learned to make do with what we had.”
Although she recalls many challenging times in U.S. history, she thinks 2020 may be the worst.
“Too many people are dying and losing everything,” she said. “I’ve never lived through something as bad as this.”
Along with her husband and children, Marie lived on her mother-in-law’s property and helped her take care of the houses and land.
“This was a small town in Connecticut, where everyone knew everyone, and we helped each other out,” she said.
Marie is very proud of her family and their accomplishments in life. Not surprisingly, she’s the matriarch of a big family, with 24 grandchildren, 48 great-grandchildren and six great-great grandkids!
Reading has always been a big part of her life. As a child, she would go to the library often, along with her brother.
“My brother and I read everything we could,” she said. “When I had kids, I taught them to read at an early age.”
Today, she enjoys reading all types of books, especially detective stories.
Marie was able to drive until age 91; she’s still active and enjoying life, including playing Scrabble on the computer – and winning most games!
Her secret to longevity? “Just take care of yourself,” she said. “Walk, watch what you eat and don’t smoke.”
