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Thursday, September 02, 2010
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| Eleanore Dose, 106. |
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Eleanore at 106: Born in 1903, Dose's secret to longevity? Take 1 day at a time
By Amber Ramige
On Wednesday, April 8, Eleanore Dose turned an amazing 106 years old.
When asked her secret for longevity, Dose said she takes one day at a time. She also has been taking vitamins for years.
Dose, born in 1903, grew up on a farm between Plato and Lester Prairie.
She was the oldest of nine children, and all of her siblings have died. She lost her youngest sister in January.
One of her earliest memories is walking to school. She said her shoes were always worn out. Instead of getting new shoes, her family would have new soles put on their old shoes.
Dose went to school until the eighth grade. At school, Dose remembers getting hit on the hands with a buggy whip by a teacher to the point where her fingers bled. After the eighth grade, she had to drop out of school to help take care of all her siblings.
One of the tasks she remembers is boiling the family's clothes. Her mother would boil the clothes, fearful of catching deadly diseases such as diphtheria.
One of her favorite memories from childhood was when she was 6 years old, and she saw a car for the first time.
While she was in the field with her father, a car drove by and stopped by the field. Her father went to see the car, and she told her father that she wanted to see the car, too. Her father told her that she could come with him, but that she could not touch the car. Her father told her to keep her hands behind her back.
Eleanore said that they did not have a car when she was younger. Her family would take a horse and buggy to church. There was a barn for the horses to stay in while people were at church.
When Dose was about 19 years old, she worked at a bakery in Glencoe for extra money. She did every kind of job for the owners, including sewing and tailoring.
She met her future husband, Ruben Dose, while she was in school. With a smile on her face, she told the story of how she met Ruben.
Ruben was in charge of carrying the wood into the schoolhouse. When he would hand off the wood to Eleanore, she said that their heads always came close together.
Eleanore and Ruben were married on Nov. 18, 1925. The minister who married them was also the teacher that hit her with the buggy whip when she was in school.
She said they ate duck for their wedding dinner because her brother raised ducks. While the bridal party ate in the dining room, she said everyone else ate outside by the side of the house.
After the wedding, The Doses lived with his parents at their farmhouse. After a year, they moved to Glencoe and lived in town.
Their first son was born in 1926. Three more sons followed.
During the 1930s, Eleanore remembers all the dust storms. It was so dry that dust was always blowing. She said her window sills were always lined with dust.
It was so dry that they had to bring their cows up north to Aitkin so they could find feed for them, she said. During the winters, they would chop holes in iced-over water troughs so the cows could drink.
Eleanore is a resident of the long-term care unit at Glencoe Regional Health Services. After her husband died in 1991, Eleanore went to live at Millie Beneke Manor. She lived there until she needed extra help and moved to long-term care in 2005 at the age of 102.
When asked what she likes to do with her time, Dose said she is "sitting and waiting." She also enjoys having company and listening to the radio.
Her second oldest son, Melvin Dose, lives in Glencoe. Her youngest son, Norman Dose, lives in Plato. Her other two sons have died. She also enjoys her niece, Deborah Templin, who visits from New York.
Dose celebrated her 106th birthday with her family and friends last Saturday.
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