In February 1922, a strong-willed woman was born.
The second youngest of 11 children, Catherine Willson, 103, was reared on a rural farm in Warrenton, Georgia. With little to no heat and electricity, she would make biscuits in the morning, the batter icy cold. She lived a modest and religious life on the farm until the end of high school.
In 1940, fresh out of high school, Willson did what she saw her older sisters do: pack up and head to Ventura, California with a sack lunch, change of clothes and $5 to her name. She hopped on the Greyhound bus and made the 2,100-mile journey at 18.
Having lost the $5, passengers chipped in to buy Willson something to eat on the nearly 70-hour journey to a new life. When they arrived, Willson changed into the clothes she’d brought, the fanciest dresses she owned. The other passengers applauded Willson, admiring her bravery for going out on her own at a young age.
California turned into Willson’s stomping grounds, where her sister introduced her to Monty, a dentist who would become her future husband.
“He accused me of leaving my sweater in his car on purpose,” Willson said of their first date. “I did not do it on purpose, but he thought I did.”
He called shortly after their first date to ask for a second. They got married in the early ’50s and welcomed their children, Marcia Hoelzen and Anna Willson.
As a mother, Willson’s daughters describe her as loving but rigid.
“I knew she loved us,” Anna said. “She was not very affectionate. It wasn’t common to hand out hugs.”
Just outside of Ventura, Willson and her family were members of Faith Tabernacle Community Church. Willson’s daughters said she cared deeply about teaching them traditional values in the church.
“She was so firm in her beliefs,” Anna said. “She would not deviate from what she believed to be right no matter what.”
Following her divorce from Monty in 1960, Willson drove her children from California to Florida. She later moved to Jacksonville in the ‘80s, where she worked as her church’s bookkeeper for two decades before retiring at 75. Despite retirement, Willson remained close to members of the church and still calls the pastor’s wife every Sunday.
When living in Florida became unfeasible, Willson’s children moved her to the Stafholt skilled nursing home in Blaine in 2019, where Hoelzen used to work as a speech pathologist.
Her daily routine consists of breakfast, brushing her teeth, naps and an activity, preferably one that involves music or time outside. Willson’s willpower has yet to falter, and she tries to do as much as she can on her own, including brushing her teeth and changing into new clothes.
Willson says the secret to a long life is as simple as genetics. Her sister, Lily, lived to be 104, and Hoelzen believes her mother will beat that record.
Today, at 103 years old, Willson’s faith remains close to her heart. Although unable to attend church in person, Willson still reads her Bible every day. Hoelzen and Anna believe that their mother’s faith is a large part of why she’s still alive today.
“She wishes every person she comes into contact with would believe in being saved by Jesus Christ,” Hoelzen said.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here