Resources for ElderCare
The Voice of Edith

I will be 100 years old in June. I was one of the first eight women hired by the military as a non-commissioned officer in WWII. I had learned French, and earned a BS in Education and a masters degree in English from the University of MN. Thanks to Eleanor Roosevelt, because I had a college degree and I knew a second language, I was transferred to Washington D.C. and became a sergeant at age forty-two.

In my lifetime, I have also been a cashier, children’s librarian, high school teacher, and college professor – I always wanted to be able to buy my own corn flakes, or in other words, make my own way. My work took me to Minnesota, North Dakota, Wyoming,Wisconsin, and Washington D.C. I was a small town girl from Montana who did all those things and went to all of those places. I lived a very good life and I feel I’ve done good service.

Today, I live in Summer House in Woodbury. I can’t cook anymore, and I have trouble walking, but I get along pretty well in my own apartment with the help of friends, family, nursing staff who visit a few times a week, and Meals-On-Wheels. I’ve enjoyed the food I’ve been getting, and also the volunteers who deliver the meals, who often stop and visit with me. Since I can’t get out anymore now, it’s the people of HSI that come who
make my life good.

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