Celebrating Two Village of Avon Residents Living Life Beyond Age 100
Writer / Melissa Gibson
Photography Provided
The Village of Avon, along with family and friends, is celebrating two special birthdays this year.
Beth Pilcher turned 103 on August 3, and Josephine Mayrose turned 104 on September 26.
In 1919 and 1920, Woodrow Wilson was president, World War I had just ended, and the world had not yet seen so many other history-making joys and tragedies. As you might expect, the stories, history and memories the women share are of days when the schedule was a bit slower, family was most important and even the price of gas back then would surprise us today.
Pilcher, now a resident at the Village of Avon, was born in Martinsville, the second in a family of six children. Though the family moved frequently, by the time Pilcher was in high school, they had settled in Plainfield, and she graduated in 1938. She married and worked in retail, eventually becoming an assistant buyer for L.S. Ayres.
Pilcher’s daughter, Gay Younce, recalls a popular story she’s always liked to tell.
“In the 1940s she was able to go to New York City on a business trip,” Younce says. “They took the train from Indianapolis to New York and the train fare was $72.20. They stayed for four days at the Dorsett hotel and paid $12 per night. I still have the train tickets.”
Despite her adventures in the workplace, Younce recalls Pilcher’s family leadership most of all. She was a stay-at-home mother for her three children, taught a preschool Sunday-school class at the local church, and belonged to bridge groups and other social clubs.
“Mom was a very good cook,” Younce says. “She and I would enjoy cooking in the kitchen, and through those times she really became my best friend. She made everything from scratch, including an amazing birthday cake each year. In the last few years she sat in the kitchen and talked me through making one for her grandkids.”
Family gatherings and birthday celebrations were always held at Pilcher’s home, and she enjoyed creating a supportive and loving environment.
“Mom was always quiet, very giving and very loving,” Younce says. “She was always there for us and we knew she had our backs no matter what.”
For her 103rd birthday, Younce and her brother brought Pilcher to her son’s home to celebrate with close family. She sat on the back porch for hours, enjoying the weather and the love that surrounded her.
She’s now a grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of six. Her younger sister, Judy, now 80, still comes to visit every chance she gets.
“Her memory was a bit foggy but she knew her family was there,” Younce says. “She was able to chat with us and ask about things. She just had a really great day.”
Her secret?
“Mom has never had any major health concerns,” Younce says. “She was hardly ever sick, even now. She’s such a good person, giving of her time and resources.”
When Younce had two young children and went back to work full-time, her mother cared for her children, getting them ready for school or preparing dinner.
“I’ve always said I’ll never be able to do all the things she did,” Younce says.
Josephine Mayrose, also a resident at the Village of Avon, grew up in the same time period, born in 1919.
Earlier in life, her family asked that she write down memories and moments that stood out to her, giving us a great legacy of stories and memories to share.
The youngest of nine children, Mayrose could recall starting her education in a two-room schoolhouse in Harmony, Indiana.
“I loved my second-, third- and fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Alexander,” Mayrose wrote. “She gave me a book each of the years she taught me, and I never missed a day of school in all 12 years.”
School was a memorable experience for Mayrose. In addition to the recognition she received for perfect attendance, she recalls drinking water from a well, outdoor toilets, and keeping warm in the winter around an old potbelly stove. They walked one and a half miles to school and she didn’t ride a bus until the fifth grade.
Her memories are full of funny moments too.
As she got older, Mayrose remembers deciding with her niece to kill a chicken “just like mom did.”
“I got the chicken’s head on the block of wood and when I came down with the axe, the chicken ran with its head half off,” Mayrose wrote. “We finally caught it and finished the job, but I didn’t eat chicken for a long time after that.”
At around 10 years old, Mayrose began spending summers with a family who needed help with an ailing mother. They paid her $2 per week and bought her school clothes from the Sears catalog.
It was during the summer between sixth and seventh grade that Mayrose chose to come home early – just a few days before the untimely death of her father. That loss is perhaps why the importance of family and being kind to others was ingrained in Mayrose from an early age – something she then passed on to her children and grandchildren.
“She has always been a kind person,” says her daughter, Linda Bland. “We were always helping our elderly neighbors and she stressed the importance of family.”
As a mother, Mayrose taught her children to join in and work hard.
“Mom was involved in everything,” Bland says. “She was my Girl Scout leader and my Sunday-school teacher. She always encouraged me to do anything I wanted to do and helped me do it.”
Mayrose was married for 70 years before the passing of her husband, Robert, in 2009. Her 100th birthday was celebrated with a large party, including family, friends, and the now-grown women she led in the Girl Scouts.
At 104, she may have slowed down a bit, but it hasn’t stopped her from making friends and still getting involved.
“She has dementia now and she’s in a wheelchair, but she can wheel herself all over the assisted-living home,” Bland says. “They all know her and talk to her.”
The Village of Avon exists to provide a comfortable home for aging adults. Their commitment and love for the residents is evident. “Josephine and Beth are so sweet,” says Kassy Teckenbrock, director of admissions. “Josephine has such an intriguing background growing up, and her daughter visits on a daily basis. Beth smiles so happily when the staff surprises her with the smallest things. They are both such a joy for staff.”
Within one community of those 55 and over, they offer independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing care and rehabilitation.
Though they are near plenty of restaurants, shopping and entertainment, within the facility itself, one can find courtyards, gardens, a salon and spa, and a private dining room for family gatherings. Through social, educational and entertainment activities, staff and residents get to know each other and form a family of their own.
Visit avonhealthandrehab.com for more information.
