Journeying with Jacque

A Life Well Lived

Sadie Elvina Dieter

1890-1993

For a person born in 1890 the life expectancy was 40.5 for a woman and 38.3 years for a man, but Aunt Sadie defied the odds and lived to be 103 (O’Neill).

Sadie was born on May 8, 1890 in Pennsylvania (where she lived her whole life) to Arthur and Elda Dieter. She was an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church and involved in many of the committees, often taking on leadership roles. In the newspaper article describing her upcoming 100th birthday party, it states that she was baptized in this church and at 100 was the oldest member.

Growing up, Great Grandaunt Sadie was also musical. The newspaper had a blurb sharing that Sadie’s father, Arthur, once gave her a piano for her birthday.

As an adult , Sadie continued performing. She was in the Holy Trinity Lutheran choir that went to Philadelphia where their performance was broadcast live. She also acted in the play The Little Old Lady Speaks as part of the Missionary Society.

Besides her creative and religious pursuits, Sadie was also a career woman. She worked for the Lehigh and New England Railroad for 30 years; she was a clerk in the railroad office.

A Bethlehem, Pennsylvania native, Sadie never married or had children, but she was a significant influence on her nieces.  Georgene Huber Coble (Gary’s mother) stated, “Aunt Sadie was my grandmother’s younger sister. My grandma Hattie died from cancer when I was about 10 years old so Aunt Sadie seemed more like a grandma to me. She had a very happy outlook on life and I enjoyed her company. Every summer my mom took Jo Ann and me to our cabin in Weightneck’s Grove at Beersville and Aunt Sadie and Grandma Dieter (while she was still alive) came too. We put umpteen puzzles together and played Monopoly, Parcheesi, and many more games. My dad would come up every weekend. Those were the GOOD OLD DAYS!”

Another family excursion for Georgene and her family when she was growing up was going to Wildwood, New Jersey. They enjoyed bike riding on the boardwalk during the mornings. One memorable year when Aunt Sadie went with them, they went up the coast to Atlantic City. They discovered Laffing Sal. All it took was a quarter to experience the laughing from Laffing Sal. Now Sal was “Six feet-tall and pure nightmare. She was a horror-show designed to brighten your day (Paulas).”

 According to Georgene, “Well, old Sal hit Aunt Sadie’s funny bone and she laughed the whole week! And not just the time at the shore but ANYTIME, ANYWHERE…you just had to mention Sal’s name and her laughter started.”

Georgene shared a memory from Sadie’s later years, “She was also in a Bridge Club with three other gals. One time I went to visit her when she was probably in her 90’s. As we were talking, I asked if she still played Bridge. She very disgustedly said, ‘We don’t have the Club anymore because Nellie went and died!!!’ I just cracked up!”

Of course, many “professionals” have suggestions to improve your genetic predisposition to a living as long as possible. According to the top longevity scientists, these are most important tips to living “a healthier, long life: 1) eat until you’re 80% full; 2) practice intermittent fasting; 3) eat nutrient-dense foods; 4) engage in strength-based exercises; 5) prioritize sleep; and 6) improve stress management (Darian).”

However, when centenarians were asked the secret to their longevity by Caroline Picard in Good Housekeeping (Oct. 23, 2018), they often had very different ideas about why they lived such long lives.

• While 106 year old Edith Atkinson Wylie reads on her Kindle every day, she credits her longevity to “good genes and perhaps bourbon, water, and Cheetos while watching the 5:00 news.”
• Richard Overton lived to be 112 by not giving up any of his “guilty pleasures: cigars, whiskey, bourbon, and butter pecan ice cream.”
• At 108, Margaret Yound shared this advice, “Be happy and have plenty of cups of tea.”
• Bernice Madigan revealed that her secret to living to be 115 was “no children, less stress, and a daily spoonful of honey.”

Some other “secrets to longevity” from centenarians include:

• two pieces of dark chocolate everyday
• bacon, eggs, a daily bowl of Breyer’s ice cream, and peanut M&M’s
• “don’t take any baloney”
• playing cards
• junk food and an occasional glass of Merlot
• a vodka martini a day, no cigarettes, and hard work
• lots of naps
• “don’t worry about the little things if you can’t do anything about it”

In your quest for longevity, you may want to select one or more of the “secrets to a long life,” or you may choose to be like Aunt Sadie and keep your sense of humor and your sense of purpose.

Sources

Darian, Michelle. “Determined to Live a Healthier, Longer Life? 6 Tips from Top Longevity Scientists.” The InsideGuide, 19 Oct. 2023, blog.insidetracker.com/best-longevity-tips.

O’Neill, Aaron. “United States: Life Expectancy 1860-2020.” Statista, 21 June 2022, www.statista.com/statistics/1040079/life-expectancy-united-states-all-time/.

Paulas, Rick. “The Horrifying Face of Laffing Sal Once Swept the Nation.” Atlas Obscura, Atlas Obscura, 29 July 2016, www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-story-of-laffing-sal-the-worlds-most-uncanny-animatronic-doll.

Picard, Caroline. “30 Centenarians Share Their Secrets to Living to 100.” Good Housekeeping, 23 Oct. 2018, www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/g5114/secrets-to-a-long-life/.