Over 100 and liking the view
Three residents of Avamere at Bethany have reached that milestone, and they share their thoughts on living so long
From top, Helen Holsman, 102, Ralph Kaufman, 101, and Margaret Higgins, 103, have all reached the centenarian milestone in Bethany.
Jaime Valdez / The Times
There just may be a fountain of youth at the Avamere at Bethany senior community because centenarians keep springing up.
Ralph Kaufman is the youngest of the community’s three centenarians at 101.
He will catch up to 102-year-old Helen Holsman on his Halloween birthday.
Margaret Higgins has them both beat at 103.
So what’s their secret to a long life?
All of them have their own ideas.
‘An old man’
Don’t let Kaufman fool you when he quips, “a wild woman, a good drink and good times.” Before you can start celebrating, he’ll come clean pretty quickly.
“That’s a bunch of BS,” Kaufman admitted. “What the hell would I do with a woman now if I caught her? I’m an old man.”
An old man who deeply loved his wife Solveig and was often caught stealing kisses from her in the courtyard of the Avamere community.
“We celebrated our 70th wedding anniversary,” he recalled. “Six days after that, she was gone. She was a dear lady.
“We enjoyed one another, not only sexually, but in every way. Things just seemed to fit with us.”
They traveled the world together and enjoyed many grand adventures, he said.
And, Kaufman would go to any length to please his bride – even follow a pregnant Solveig’s desire to pack up their home in Mott, N.D., and relocate to Portland in the 1930s.
“I left my pregnant wife and hitchhiked into Portland and hit every machine shop looking for a job,” Kaufman said. “She saw a picture of Mount Hood in a geography book and decided this was where she wanted to live.”
In addition to being a romantic, Kaufman is “an old man” with pretty contemporary ideas.
His high-tech walker sports an “I support President Obama” sticker.
When asked what he thought of the nation’s first African-American president, he didn’t hesitate in speaking his mind.
“I think it’s a hell of a good idea,” Kaufman said. “Too many of these high-flying white guys are taking over the country. I hope to God he can pull things out.”
This “old man” remembers enduring tough times during the Great Depression and surviving the Dust Bowl.
Kaufman’s advice to the young people of this generation is, “Take it easy. Be good. And if you can’t be good, be careful.”
On the move
Higgins and Holsman had their own lessons to share during a visit in Avamere’s parlor.
Both women remember when life’s pace was slower.
Holsman, whose maiden name was Rich, grew up on a 20-acre farm in the Orenco area. “It was like a park, and we had family gatherings once a month,” she recalled.
“It’s not the Orenco you see now, though,” Holsman points out. “I can’t believe what it’s like now – the huge buildings with so many people traveling around there.”
Family and faith are both important to Holsman, who attends Bethany Baptist Church – the same church she attended with her family growing up.
“The church was the center of our living and our life,” she said.
Her advice on aging well is to “walk every day, love your family and let them love you in return.”
Holsman said there was no secret to living a long life for her. “I just took it as it came,” she said. “I didn’t try to postpone it or extend it. I just lived. Keeping busy helped, I guess.”
Higgins agreed.
“We were never idle growing up – we always had something to do or fix,” said Higgins, who was born in London and spent a good deal of her childhood in a small Austrian village with her grandparents before moving to the United States at the age of 16.
“Well, I’ll tell you, I’ve been around quite a bit,” she said with a hint of a German accent. “I’ve met a lot of nice people.”
Her travels continued throughout her life “on account of my husband and his work with the government,” Higgins said. “I’ve seen a lot of changes and a lot of new things in Europe and the United States.”
It’s important to keep moving, she said. “To get through your life, you need to adjust to changes and adapt,” Higgins added.
But wherever life takes you, one thing never goes out of style, according to Higgins.
“Keep your shoes shined and looking nice,” she said.