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North Branch man celebrates 100 healthy yearsBy MaryHelen Swanson ëI didnít show myself special treatment ... I always exercised, always ate good food and here I am,î said 100-year-old Elmo Stillwell, a temporary resident at Green Acres Country Care Center. Temporary, because when his broken arm is healed he expects to go back to independent living at his apartment in Uptown Maple Commons in North Branch. Whatever came and went in his life, he believes, was ìmore or less the Lordís business ...Heís kept me going these 100 years.î And going he was. In his line of business, selling greeting cards and stationary to drug stores and other businesses, he put on three and three-quarters million miles over the road traveling from Minnesota to New York and Texas in the early years. Later, his routes were in Minnesota and Iowa and in bordering Wisconsin towns. He retired from his job at the age of 88. Stillwell was born Feb. 17, 1904 and grew up in Le Roy, Minn., one of seven children. His memory serves him well and he can rattle off the names of all siblings, Vier, Inez, Pearl and Ruby (the twins), Carol and Glennys, and more. He can tell you when his own six children were born: Karen, on Armistice Day in 1940, Margo, Nov. 2 one year later, Tom and Nancy (twins) on V-J Day, Joe in 1947 and finally, Jeffrey, born on the day they sold their house in Mantorville, Minn., in 1954. Stillwell said after having two daughters, he and his wife wanted a son. He said the Lord said OK to the son, but the Stillwells would have to take another daughter, too. Hence, the twins. Stillwell married his first wife in 1937. The strong union lasted 60 years until her death. He was 33 when they married. ìI played the field,î he said with a twinkle in his eye. He was 50 when his last child was born. When the widow Stillwell moved to North Branch in 1997, he began to frequent the senior center. It was there he met Lola. ìWe hit it off good and decided to tie the knot,î Stillwell said. He was 94, she 10 years his junior. They were married in 1998. Lola is a resident of Green Acres and due to her health, she sleeps a lot. Stillwell calls her his ìSleeping Beauty.î Hearing from his relatives brought back memories. His 95-year-old cousin Blanche sent along a picture of his grandparents, and he began to talk about a certain day he spent with his grandma when he was four years old. He was sitting on a stool by his grandmother who was sewing, which he still thinks was unique because she was blind. When his grandmother needed to re-thread her needle, little Elmo asked if he could help her. When his fingers couldnít get the job done, his grandma said she could handle it, and did. Stillwell remembers exciting details about this past century, like breaking horses in Le Roy many years ago. He said he boasted he could ride anything with hair on it. He also fondly remembered his own horses Sarge and Shiloh. He named football as his favorite sport, ìbecause I played in high school.î Now he watches it on television. The Vikings are his number 1 team, the Packers number 2. As far as eating well, he said heís a meat and potatoes guy. He loves steak and uses real cream, whole milk and real sugar, never going in much for the substitutes. Stillwell gave up his driving license a few years ago and itís been tough. For a man who put on over 3 million miles behind the wheel, itís difficult to have to wait for a taxi or family and friends to pick him up and give him a ride. Itís quite a change in lifestyle, he said. If he could pass along some wisdom to the young it would be to tell them to make Christ number one and ìlean on the Lord.î ìDepend on Him,î Stillwell encouraged, ìHeís been very kind and Heís taken very good care of me.î ìIíve got lots to be thankful for,î he concluded. The Post Review staff would like to join family and friends in wishing Elmo a happy 100th. ©ECM Post Review |