100 years of adventures
Barbara Wetzel, a resident of Golden LivingCenter-South Hills in Canonsburg, poses with her daughter, Marjorie Campbell of Canonsburg, and her birthday cake during her 100th birthday party.
Barbara Wetzel is surrounded by her children, from left, Debbie Anglin of Follansbee, W.Va., Jim Wetzel of Butler and Marjorie Campbell of Canonsburg, at her 100th birthday party at Golden LivingCenter-South Hills in Canonsburg.
CANONSBURG – While listening to her daughter, Marjorie Campbell, reminisce about what a wonderful homemaker, artist and hunter her mother once was, Barbara Wetzel finally decided enough is enough.
“You can’t write all that. Everybody will get bored,” Barbara said.
Well, not really.
Barbara Wetzel turned 100 years old Sept. 1, and she was a rather busy – and adventurous – woman until she moved to an assisted living facility 10 years ago.
Barbara was born and raised on a farm in Mahaffey, Clearfield County, one of nine children – four boys and five girls – of John and Myrtle Beatty.
She regularly hunted – primarily small game – with her brothers and her dog, Sally, and she often skinned the animals she killed.
“I got the wild ones,” Barbara quipped, referring to her hunting escapades.
But it wasn’t until she was in her 70s that she snagged her biggest trophy: a five-point buck. From the deer, she had a jacket made for herself and change purses for her family.
Barbara was 22 years old when she married Henry Orrin “Peck” Wetzel of nearby Burnside in June 1938. A shadow box in her room at Golden LivingCenter-South Hills in Canonsburg, where Barbara moved two years ago after suffering a nasty fall that necessitated more care, contains the couple’s marriage license, the corsage she wore on her wedding day and a touching note Henry wrote his bride-to-be the night before they wed.
Barbara and Henry eventually moved from Clearfield County to Turtle Creek when Henry was hired by Westinghouse. The couple had three children: Marjorie, who resides in Canonsburg, Debbie Anglin of Follansbee, W.Va., and Jim Wetzel of Butler.
And when the couple’s family started to grow, Barbara became the ultimate homemaker.
She made all of her children’s clothing – plus a lot of her own – cut and styled all of her children’s hair until they wed, and she was, according to Marjorie, an “excellent cook.”
“We never went out to dinner, ever,” said Marjorie, who, incidentally, now has a standing appointment each Tuesday to style her mother’s hair.
Henry died May 4, 2009, at age 93, just one month before he and Barbara would have celebrated 72 years of marriage.
“I never once saw my parents argue,” Marjorie said. “She wouldn’t argue.”
In her “spare” time, Barbara liked to paint, and several pieces of her artwork hang in her room today, and she also was active in the Methodist church. When she wasn’t working on the farm, she worked at JC Penney for several years.
In addition to her three children, Barbara also has seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. A party was held the Sunday before her birthday to celebrate her milestone year, and 18 people attended. On Monday, she was extremely tired.
When asked her secret to a long life, Barbara said, “I wish I knew.”