Leota Vernell Allison (born Ticknor) was born on May 6th, 1925, in Burke, South Dakota. She celebrated her 100th birthday last week with a series of parties, each with different parts of her family. It was my first time meeting a centenarian, and during our interview with her, she told me the next time we visit, she will introduce us to her neighbor, Hazel Baumberger (who, last year, after celebrating her 108th birthday, became the oldest woman in South Dakota), so meeting a supercentenarian may not be too far in my future.
Despite her age, she is still spry and as witty as she ever was. We took the opportunity to ask her questions about her life and how things may have been different eighty years ago.
Leota graduated from Burke High School in 1943 as salutatorian of her class, which had 30-40 people. She was involved in everything in her school, including playing the trombone in the marching band and cheerleading. She married Charles Alfred Allison in 1944, and they lived in California for two years during the war before moving to Winner, South Dakota. They had two kids, Beverly (born 1947) and Charles Douglas (born 1949). They managed a small store, and Leota remained in the same house for 60 years, even after Al passed away. At the age of 90, she moved from her home in Winner to Pierre to be closer to her daughter’s family.
“Al got a call from Andy, Al’s best friend. Those two had something going when Andy needed any new appliances, he called Al, and when Al needed jewelry, he called Andy. Anyway, they both ended up having a part of the building. Now I’ve forgotten what I was going to tell you about, so I’ll think about it later. What was I talking about?”
“You were talking about soaking in information from other people.”
“Well, anyway. It just left me like that. That’s how it happens when you get older, you think of something…”
“I think that happens to all ages, when you think about something then you forget and your mind starts to wander and you think, what was I thinking about?”
“You went out in the kitchen to do something and you wonder what the heck you went out there for. Well. I’ve had a good life. I have no complaints about my life. One guy asked me, were you happily married? And I said that’s really none of you’re business in the first place, but I never once thought of divorce or that stuff. But they did in their day. What did you do?”
Leota takes a short pause to drink her water. The dogs are lying on the ground and continually falling asleep and waking quickly, drawing our attention time after time.
“My students were asking so many questions, like how does someone get to be a hundred?”
“They have no idea,” Leota interjects.
“She didn’t smoke, she didn’t drink, she took care of herself. She stays active, she has a positive attitude, also that you’re just lucky. Some people aren’t lucky in the health department. You can take care of yourself and not be lucky in that regard. Just kinda hit the jackpot.”
“There’s a lot of reasons you can’t do anything about it health-wise. But yeah. You have to take care of your own body; nobody else is gonna give a darn if you drink or smoke. I tried to smoke, and I have never liked the taste of liquor. Even a glass of wine. It irritates me to see somebody drink glass after glass of wine. I don’t care if you get stupid drunk, but don’t get that way around me. Don’t get that way around me. It irritates me. And sometimes I’m not very good at keeping my mouth shut about it, but I’m one hundred years old, I can say anything I want. And I do. But not too bad. I try to keep my tongue good. But anything I’m doing, if you think of it strong, I wish you’d tell me, and maybe I can correct it. But if I don’t like it, I’ll let you know how I feel about it. People’s lives are what you make of them.”
