See the article in the Valley Courier
State honors Valley centenarians
Posted: Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
BY: Ruth Heide
Photos by Ruth Heide San Luis Valley centenarians honored Wednesday in Alamosa are from left Ruth Coch of La Jara who will be 102 next month; Ethel Davis of Monte Vista who will hit the 100-year mark in October; Claude Albert of Alamosa who will soon be 101; and Irma Satterfield of Alamosa who just celebrated her 100th birthday last month.
One resident nears 102
By RUTH HEIDE
ALAMOSA — Ruth Coch said the reason she’s still alive is because heaven does not have room for her yet.
She will be 102 years old next month.
Meeting in Alamosa this week, the Colorado Commission on Aging and the Region 8 South-Central Colorado Seniors Inc. honored Ruth Coch and other San Luis Valley centenarians during a special ceremony on Wednesday.
In addition to Ruth Coch, San Luis Valley centenarians present for the occasion were Irma Satterfield of Alamosa who turned 100 on April 25, Claude Albert of Alamosa who will be 101 years old on July 13 and Ethel Davis of Monte Vista who will hit the centennial mark on October 3. Ruth Coch will be 102 years old on June 16.
Ethel Davis, who now resides at Juniper Village in Monte Vista, was born in Oklahoma and had 14 brothers and sisters. She moved to the San Luis Valley at the age of 21. She and her late husband “Bud” had 4 children, 8 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. She was a homemaker renowned for her mashed potatoes and also worked in the school cafeteria. Ethel also herded sheep from time to time. She is a lifetime member of Tri County Seniors.
One of 13 children, Ruth Coch was born in the San Luis Valley and married Bill Coch in San Luis “a long time ago,” she said. She and Bill had one daughter, Betty Jean, whom she called her greatest accomplishment, and several grandchildren and great grandchildren. When her grandchildren would call her “my beautiful grandma,” she would melt and often give them a quarter. Ruth played the piano, saxophone and basketball. She said she enjoyed playing in Sanford because that is where the good-looking guys were. She served as a clerk in the district court and now resides at the San Luis Care Center where her grand niece is director.
Coch advised young people to keep their bodies clean, not to smoke or drink, mind their parents and to flirt around.
Irma Satterfield was born in Mirage and grew up helping her father in the family business, a general store. She was married and had four children. She enjoyed being a homemaker as well as keeping active in her church over the years. Irma graduated from Adams State College and embarked on a second career in education.
A descendant of German settlers, Claude Albert is also a San Luis Valley native who was a rancher, was in charge of a road crew in Antonito and was a skilled handyman. He raised two daughters and three sons and enjoys his grandchildren. Claude now resides at Evergreen in Alamosa where staff recently found him throwing cookies for the resident therapy dog to retrieve.
The Valley centenarians received certificates from the governor and letters from U.S. Senator Ken Salazar who recognized the many changes and challenges the centenarians had experienced in the past century. “In surpassing the one-hundred year marker, these Coloradans have reinforced the age-old axiom that age ‘is just a number’,” Salazar said. “Now in their second century of their life’s journey, they are honored members of our communities and our society, and as such, are well-deserving beneficiaries of our admiration and respect.”
South-Central Colorado Seniors Policy Board Chairman Carol Refior recounted some of the changes and challenges the centenarians had experienced including heating up water for baths and laundry, outhouses, horse-drawn farm equipment, picking peas by hand and many other challenges. In the past century the honorees had experienced two world wars, the Great Depression and other major events, Refior added. She also described prices of the past such as 79-cent footwear and 2 pounds of hamburger for 15 cents. Refior described the social life of the early century when opera houses existed from Antonito to Saguache and shared the Paul Bunyan tall tale of how the Great Sand Dunes were formed.
Dignitaries present for the centenarian celebration in Alamosa on Wednesday included Alamosa Mayor Farris Bervig, Alamosa City Councilor Charles Griego, Alamosa County George Wilkinson and Ms. Senior Colorado 2007 Lara Carbajal. Local musician Donald Garcia provided entertainment for the event including the “Happy Birthday” song.
Colorado Commission on Aging Chairman Sheila Casey paid tribute to the centenarians’ “wonderful legacy” and attributed their longevity to their enthusiasm in life.
Ruth Coch exemplified that enthusiasm by remarking, “When I’m 200 I wonder what they’ll do then.”
4 comments:
Is there going to be a party?
Was there a party?
I don't know. Apparently neither of us was invited.
I hate it when I never get invited.
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