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 Ester Pearson of Callaway, celebrated her 103 birthday July 31, and family and friends celebrated in her honor at Callaway Good Samaritan July 26. Pearson received more than 100 birthday cards.
By ELLEN MORTENSEN
Chief Assistant Editor
CALLAWAY - - Ester Pearson has seen a lot. She has always remained active and worked hard, and at a party in her honor July 26, 46 friends and relatives gathered to wish her a happy 103rd birthday, and more than 100 cards have been received.
Now residing at Callaway Good Samaritan, Ester lived in her home until the age of 97, when she suffered a light stroke. At that time her daughter, Joanne Schuster, thought it would be best if Ester came to live with her. For the next three years, Ester lived with her daughter.
Ester was born in Ord July 31, 1906, to Mr. and Mrs. T.L. Smith. When she was 10, the family moved to Arnold, and she graduated from Arnold High School in 1925.
On July 14, 1925, Ester married Alvin Pearson, and began her life as a hard-working farm wife. With Alvin doing road work too, Ester was responsible for many of the farm chores.
The couple moved to Minnesota for four years, then back to Arnold for a while, before moving to Eddyville. There they owned and operated a telephone exchange for 13 years. It that business, the couple was responsible for all aspects of the telephone business - serving as operator, line repair and billing.
When the couple retired, they moved back to Arnold and remodeled the home where Ester remained until moving in with her daughter.
Alvin was an inventor and explorer, and together he and Ester enjoys many adventures. They remodeled an old school bus into what would now be called an RV, and took a number of road trips. They would often take friends and family, or church youth groups with them.
Ester has been a member of First Baptist Church since she was 12-years-old, and has been active in the church her entire adult life. She taught Sunday school for years, and has served in several offices. Prior to moving to Callaway, Ester rarely missed church, Sunday school, or Ruth Circle.
She has also been active in gardening and freezing the fruits of her labor, baking and quilting. Joanne says she has helped her mom make many, many lap robes and quilts over the years, which Ester donated to the V.A. and nursing homes. Joan says she still sees many of the quilts at Good Samaritan that she and her mother made.
“Everyone in the family has a quilt that grandma made,” Joanne adds.
She is notorious for her cookies, and Joanne says she has many fond memories of her mom baking lots of them.
“She lived right between the school and home, so the grandkids would have to stop in every day on the way home from school and grab a cookie,” Joanne laughs.
About 10 years ago, Ester took the advice of her children and wrote down her autobiography. In it, she recalls her very first day of school, and getting scolded by the teacher for putting her feet up on the desk across the aisle from hers - like the big kids did.
When she was a young child, Ester developed typhoid fever. She describes herself as being “out of my head” for three or four weeks. She lost all of her hair, and had to learn to walk all over again.
Ester and Alvin, who died in 1990, had four children; Don, Stan, Joanne and Jim. She also has 16 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren, and 17 great-great-grandchildren.
“Her flowers, garden and grandkids are the most important things in her life - and always have been,” says Joanne. |
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