R&R Hosts 100th Birthday

Last month, the Recreation & Respite staff and clients in Lincoln gathered to celebrate a very special birthday – Milly’s 100th.

Milly was born on September 30, 1916, in Rochester, New York. At just two years old, she lost her father in the flu epidemic of 1918.  As a teenager, she survived the worldwide economic depression of 1929 by making money as a hair stylist, perfecting the trend of the time – ‘spit curls’.

She also took care of neighborhood children, but didn’t stick with that career path because, as she explained it, “I couldn’t charge enough for the way some of the families’ children acted!”

She met her husband just before he enlisted in the army after the attack at Pearl Harbor.  While he was serving in WWII 1941 to 1945, they communicated by letters. Upon his safe return to the US, they married.

From 1949 through the 1960s, Milly raised her children as a stay-at-home mom. Milly later did secretarial work for the Kodak Company, retiring in 1983.  Sadly, her husband passed away just a year later.

Milly and her sister took care of their mother until they both passed away in the mid-80s. She then lived alone until 2000, at which time her eldest son moved in with her to help with her care.

Throughout her senior years, she has enjoyed knitting, crocheting, and coloring pictures, earning her the nickname “Rembrandt”.

“She has lived a pretty sheltered life but has always been a great mom,” commented her son.

Also celebrating her birthday?  Her favorite movie star Robert Wagner who, after hearing about his biggest fan, autographed a picture for her 100th birthday!