Local woman celebrates her 102nd birthday

Even as a centenarian, Verna West of Columbus remains an unstoppable force of nature.

That’s how family member Amber Potts described West as she helped Verna celebrate her 102nd birthday at Willow Crossing Health and Rehabilitation facility.

“She may get confused, but then she goes right back and knows everything,” Potts said.

Another family member in attendance was her 16-year-old great-grandson, Carson Fonner, who says he doesn’t know anyone with an living ancestor who can match Verna’s longevity.

But Carson says he does realize how lucky he is to still have his great-grandmother in his life today.

“We always went to her house for Christmas,” Carson said. “She taught me cooking. I’ve gotten tons of great recipes from her.

Currently, there are 101,000 Americans who are 100 years and older – just 0.03% of the overall population. However, the U.S. Census Bureau projects the country’s centenarian population will quadruple over the next 30 years.

When asked how it felt to be 102 years old, Verna replied she felt like she was 150.

“I can’t get out and go,” Verna said. “I can’t take care of myself, and when you are 102, there’s so much you can’t do.”

On the other hand, Verna acknowledges she has lived a wonderful life, and feels blessed to see another day.

It’s a life that began in 1922 in southeast Jennings County. One of six girls born into a farm family, Verna began her education by attending Rabbit Plains Public School, a small brick building situated near Little Graham Creek. She recalled either walking to school or riding in a horse-drawn carriage called “school hacks”.

She later attended classes in San Jacinto before her family moved to the small town of Milroy in southern Rush County. But it wasn’t long before another move was made to Greensburg. By the time she got settled in Decatur County, motorized school buses were starting to be seen throughout the state.

Verna recalls the Great Depression as a time when all six girls, as well as their parents, had to work together and extremely hard to survive. In what little time they had to socialize, her sisters kept involved in 4-H.

But once she reached high school, Verna became heavily active in a new statewide organization called “Indiana Rural Youth/Young Adults.” After graduating from Greensburg High School in 1940, she would serve as the organization’s treasurer in Bartholomew County while working various office jobs in Columbus.

In the summer of 1945 while attending a baseball game, another Rural Youth member introduced Verna to a soldier on furlough named Morris West. After the soldier took her on a ride to Versailles, Morris and Verna ended up as boyfriend and girlfriend.

A week later, Verna took Morris to catch a train to return him to his military base in Virginia, where he was under orders to prepare for deployment to fight the Japanese army.

But to their mutual delight, deployment wasn’t necessary because the war ended a week later. Verna would tell friends and family it was their love that ended the war so they could reunite and write their love story.

“It was a good love story,” Verna recalled with a smile.

The couple raised two children, Joyce and Tom. A gleam came to Verna’s eyes as she began talking bout Tom’s passion for playing trumpet in school bands, as well as how hard he worked to get through Purdue University.

But it was shortly after receiving his degree that heartbreak struck when her son died in a work-related accident.

Over the years, she has also seen all five of her sisters – Mary, Francis, Evelyn, Patricia and Ruthie – pass away.

But it was the loss of Morris that seems to sadden her the most.

“He’s gone now, and I still miss him,” Verna said.

Nevertheless, Verna still finds much that makes her happy to be alive, she said. One reason is the bond she shares with her daughter, Joyce.

Another is being around people in general, which she said gives her a sense of enjoyment.

“I love to go to church at First Baptist,” Verna said. “I was in the choir for years, but now I can’t sing at all.”

Of all the technological advancements she’s seen, the development of automobiles has been the most fascinating thing Verna said she has seen. Since cars can take a person to where they need to go, Verna feels that makes them the most useful advancement, she said.

But she did ask First Baptist Church of Columbus senior pastor Evan Guse whether she should start learning about the internet.

”I told her that all it does is complicate life,” the minister said. “At your age, you don’t need the confusion.