Toasting the Dawn of Their Second Century

When Wilbur Hauth, Myrtle Strotdbeck and Kenneth Soward were born, President William Howard Taft was just about to cede power to Woodrow Wilson. The United States was still a year away from entering World War I. And in Browning, on Jan. 24, 1916, the temperature dropped from 44 degrees to negative 56 in just 24 hours, the greatest temperature change ever recorded in such a short period of time.

One hundred and one years later, on another frigid day in Northwest Montana, the three Kalispell residents toasted the start of their second century. Hauth, Strotdbeck and Soward all turn 101 within a month of one another. On Jan. 11, the three centenarians joined their follow residents at Prestige Assisted Living in Kalispell for a brief celebration with sparkling cider and balloons.

Hauth, whose birthday falls on Dec. 20, was born and raised in Ohio. After high school, he went to work for U.S. Steel and then enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the onset of World War II. At the end of the war, he returned to the steel mill and worked until he retired in 1976. He’s still living off the pension from his 44 years at the mill.

“I enjoyed the work and they treated me very well,” he said.

After he retired, Hauth focused on pursuits like golf, which he credits for keeping him active in his later years. Hauth is particularly proud of an accomplishment from 17 years ago.

“I had a lot of close calls over the years, but it wasn’t until I was 85 years old that I finally hit a hole in one,” Hauth said.

Strotdbeck, who turns 101 on Jan. 28, grew up in a little town near Glendive. Nearly a century later, she still vividly remembers riding a horse five miles to school every day. That excursion normally went off without a hitch until one day the pony bucked her off and she was knocked unconscious. Luckily, her father found her soon after and took her home to recover.

According to Strotdbeck, the secret to a good life is simple.

“Take it as it comes and keep on trucking,” she said. “And always keep a smile on your face.”

Soward, who turned 101 on Jan. 2, was born in South Dakota and grew up in Minnesota. After high school, he got a job as a messenger in Washington D.C.

“It was a much different place then,” he said. “I got to go all over town and learn about life outside of the boondocks.”

He later enlisted in the U.S. Navy and did military intelligence. After World War II, he worked for the Bureau of Reclamation and came to Montana. Like the others, Soward’s advice for a long and meaningful life is straightforward.

“Do the best you can for everyone you associate with,” he said.