BEECH CREEK - From churning her own butter to driving a Model T, living through the Great Depression and World War II, M. Kathryn Packer has had many rich experiences in her lifetime.
And, the Beech Creek woman, who is celebrating her 99th birthday today, enjoys talking about them.
With coifed hair and ankles crossed on the recliner's stool in her apartment, her gaze was clear and sharp.
"What do you want to know?" she asked.
"The things you remember most," I answered.
Orviston. It was the best place in the world to grow up, to her.
"There were lots of places to swim, to play ball. All I did as a kid was swim and skate. There was a church, two stores, a nice little town. Dad worked at the brick yard. It was so nice, it was perfect," she sighed.
She lived there 55 years, first with her parents, then her husband.
But the town she knew then doesn't resemble the crumbling brick factories she sees now.
"Now everything's torn down, what didn't fall down," she said. She shook her head. "I can't think of a living person in Orviston my age."
She's lived in Beech Creek since she moved from Orviston.
When she turned 13, her dad gave her a terrific present.
"At 13, Dad gave me a cow. Her name was Flossy. I fed it, milked it and churned the butter every day. I sold one quart of milk every day," she said.
Though they wouldn't get a lot of gifts, she treasured the ones she had.
"It wasn't like now-a-days. We only got a doll at Christmas and had to wait to get a new one the next year. I remember Dolly Dimple," she smiled.
Years later, when she came of age, she married her childhood sweetheart.
"I married at 18, but Reuben and I grew up together. We have two boys, Gerald and Leroy," she said.
They enjoyed riding around in their various cars, but their first was Kathryn's favorite.
"Our first car was a Model T. We bought it for $25. Reuben and I ran around in it. It never had any problems. Then we had Model As. You name it, we had it," she said. Her son Leroy chimed in, "Dad had a different car every week! I remember our 1933 Chevy."
"Married life was wonderful. I've had a very happy life and a wonderful man. We picked huckleberries and raised a few hogs together. Leroy was born in 1933," Kathryn said.
Leroy remembers the scarce days of the Great Depression.
"They were rough days: the Depression, the war..." he said.
"During the Depression I didn't work. We ate a lot of venison," Kathryn said, nodding. "I canned a lot. Reuben had the garden and I canned from it. I made 300 to 400 quarts of stuff, enough for everybody."
"We had coupons for everything," Leroy said.
They also lived through the 1936 and 1972 floods, but luckily, nothing of theirs was damaged.
She's gotten The Express since 1941.
"Our paperboy was Harry Rhodes, who was killed in action in World War II," she said.
When Gerald and Leroy were 10 and 12, Reuben was also in World War II in the Army in the Panama Canal from 1942 to 1944. During that time, Kathryn worked in Sylvania. Between her many working hours, she'd read letters from her husband.
"Every night, Reuben would write me a letter. With the letters, he'd send me gifts. He sent me a bracelet and a silk shirt that said, 'Keep your shirt on honey, I'll see you soon.' I still have it somewhere," she said.
His homecoming was one of the happiest days of their lives.
"When he came in the door, the kids were happy to see him. Gerald jumped down the steps when he saw him! They thought a lot of their dad.
"My husband was a good Christian man. We fought and argued once in a while, but I loved making up," she laughed. "When I was young, I had a terrible temper. But I grew out of it."
They were married a wonderful 62 years. In 1992, Reuben passed away.
There will never be anyone else for Kathryn.
"He was the one ... the first and the last," she said.
She wouldn't trade her life for any other. Their days together were simpler back then.
"We didn't have modern conveniences back then, but I didn't mind it. I probably would now.
"I loved my cook stove, it burned coal and wood. I baked my own bread. I don't think my boys ever tasted store-bought bread. I hand-washed the clothes and hung them on the line.
"Then I had a gas washer that had a motor, but I still liked to hang my clothes out," she said. "We had kerosene lamps at first, and didn't have a telephone until nine years after we married. Only the railroad guys had phones back then. But we always had good water," she remembered.
One of her great loves is sewing. She'd make everything under the sun.
"You name it, I made it!" she said. "I started sewing at 13 for my doll clothes and I made gowns and bonnets for babies for the centennial celebration in Orviston."
She also worked in Sylvania and in the Orviston store for 20-some years as a clerk.
They loved their English bulldog that for 16 years became part of the family.
"I think he knew more than a human being!" Kathryn said.
But he was Leroy's pal.
"I'd put that dog on my shoulder and he'd prop his feet up on my belt and I'd ride all over town on my bike with him," Leroy said.
Many presidents have passed through office in her time.
Her favorite president in her lifetime?
"Well, it wasn't Washington!" she laughed, slapping her thigh. "FDR was my favorite. My least favorite is Obama. I've always been a Democrat, though."
Looking back on her life, she's thankful for it all.
"I appreciate everything: a good church, a good warm house, a good husband and kids," she said.
What's the secret to her long life?
"I don't know. I don't drink or smoke, never have. I've worked a lot," she said.
Now, her life is full of family. She has two sons, Gerald Packer and wife Audre, Leroy "Popeye" Packer and wife Connie, eight grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, 12 great-great grandchildren and one great-great-great grandchild.
She also has a dear friend, Nancy MacGill, who visits daily and helps her with meals.
But she still knows how to take care of everyone. After all, she's still a mom.
"You want a steak sandwich, Leroy? There's Steak-Ums in the fridge if you want to make a sandwich," she told her son in her Beech Creek apartment.
"Well, that's it, I suppose," she said about her experiences. "I hope that's enough."
