Posted by: Victor_Claveau on 02/27/2009 08:03 PM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 03/02/2009 08:08 AM
Expires: 01/01/2014 12:00 AM
:
Gwen Smith, 100 Years and Still Going Strong~by Victor Claveau
Angels Camp, CA...Gwen Smith has every reason to celebrate becoming a centenarian. Less than .018% of the U.S. Population reach the milestone of 100 years of age. She was born on February 28, 1909.....
Gwen was the second oldest of five children born to hew accountant father and stay-at-home mother. Gwen was born in Ogden, Utah and a few years later, the family moved to Salt Lake City when it was “just beginning to become a city”.
I could not help but to ask if she was related in any way to Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. “No”, she replied, “Although I did go to the Mormon Church on Sunday afternoons because they served cake and ice cream. The only thing I remember about the Mormons was that they loved to eat.”
Gwen walked 1¼ miles each way to school every day and thought nothing of it. Her father never drove an automobile and the pace of life was far less hectic than it is today.
The “Crash of 1929” went by without really having a negative impact on her life.
She held down a job and supported her mother, while still going to high school in Oakland, CA.
She lived through the “War to end all wars” and then revisited War again in the fight against Japan and the Axis powers of Europe. Her brother Ed was killed in World War II. She remembered that during the war, “people really helped each other.”
Gwen married at 19 and had four children. She is proud of the fact that each of her children were well educated. She lost her husband after 20 years and later married again. Her second husband passed away after ten years of marriage. I asked Gwen, why she did not marry for a third time and she replied, “It’s a lot easier, you never have to wash dishes after them. When I think of a man, I think of dirty dishes. I don’t want to cook or do dirty dishes any longer. Men just litter. You out grow them., I don’t want to have to pick up and wash dirty socks”.
Gwen worked in a dress shop, which she eventually purchased. She later tired of the business and sold it.
She moved to Foothill Village even before it was completed in November 2002. She loves the place. Occasionally, when she spies a prospective newcomer and doesn’t think they will fit in, she admitted to trying to take them aside to tell them that they would not be happy at Foothill Village. We need people who like to get along.
The key to longevity, according to Gwen, is not arguing. She hates to argue and when the discussion around the dinner table gets heated, she changes the subject. “I don’t mind a good discussion,” she said, “but I don’t like arguing”.
Gwen lives independently and enjoys the fact that she doesn’t have to clean her living quarters or cook her own meals. She is a living advertisement for Foothill Village. “She said, “I have no complaints, I love it here. The food is very good and I don’t have to cook or wash dishes.”
She recently had a medical check-up and the doctor told her that she is in such good shape that she was wasting his time. I always get up at 6 o’clock and that way I can be the first one at the breakfast table.
She works out five days per week. She was pumping her arms high above her head in order to demonstrate the exercise moves.
Although she does not belong to any religious group, she attends religious service at the Village every Sunday morning and enjoys the sermons. She said, “I take what I want from the services and leave the rest.”
Gwen has no idea how many descendants she has, but as many as thirty-five of her relatives will be with her to celebrate her birthday on Saturday. She said that a great-great grandchild is due soon. Although she enjoys her family, she said that she learned long ago not to have a guestroom.
I asked Gwen, what advice she might have for our readers. She replied, “Well, I never argue about politics, and I don’t argue about religion. I don’t mind discussing these things, but I do not want to argue. This does not mean that I will shut up just to let someone have their way. I was brought up to be obedient and not fight or argue with my brothers and sisters. We had family discussions after dinner.”
I asked about her diet, she replied, “I don’t smoke, but I do like a little wine now and then.”
When asked if she would like to live longer she replied, “Not particularly, I’m getting tired. I’m ready to go. I’m not mad about being alive; I just want to live in peace.”
Gwen Smith with her brother Ed who became a U.S. Marine.
55,000 Americans are 100 years or older. The Allstate insurance company reported that, in 2007, the Hallmark Company sold approximately 85,000 "Happy 100th Birthday!" cards.
If you would like to send Gwen a happy birthday greeting card, her address is:
Gwen Smith
1400 Foothill Village Drive
Angels Camp, CA 95222
Victor Claveau, victor@thepinetree.net
|
