A Century Plus One
Mildred Harriet Gilmore Memler turns 101
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Last year she wrote a poem to mark her 100th birthday. She most recently tweaked it a bit to reflect yet another landmark year.
We asked Mildred Memler what were the three most remarkable things she has witnessed in her lifetime. She replied, "Air travel, WWI, and the assassination of JFK." Ms. Memler also shared her secret to a long healthy life, "Choose the right mother and father; it's the genes."
Ms. Memler was born in Lake County, Illinois, and moved to South Carolina in 1957. She was the proud wife of John H. Memler for 69 years and they had two daughters. Ms. Memler is now blessed with six grandchildren and 11 great- grandchildren.
A Century (plus one)
By Mildred Memler
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I have been given another year,
That I have been hoping for,
So now I have that century (plus one),
And I will not ask for more.
The world has changed a bit
Since I came into it,
Stop and think about it,
And reminisce with me a bit.
My parents traveled by horse and buggy,
And thought they did quite well,
Of course they didn't travel far,
They were considerate of "Old Nell."
They cranked the old box telephone
That hung upon the wall,
And all their neighbors knew,
Whenever they had a call.
They had to get their water
From a pump out in the yard.
And out back there was a "path"
That was held in high regard.
Mothers were our washing machine
With a scrub board and a tub,
And our weekly change of clothing
Took, many a rub- a- dub.
And on Saturday night, the same wash tub,
Sat by the kitchen range,
We took our turn at scrubbing,
And brought about quite a change.
It is good to have our memories,
And I have collected quite a few.
But I've also had the pleasure,
Of remembering what was new.
The auto, electricity for light and power
Made so many things possible,
It is hard to imagine,
What else is probable.
There are so many new things
That are still to come,
But there is one thing unchanged,
Our Heavenly Father's love,
My so many thanks to Him
