100-year-old Huntington woman lived humbly on her farm, where she loved her bees, maple trees and cows
Florence Sophia Miles celebrated her 100th birthday on October 4, 2022, outdoors at the Sterling House in Richmond. She was able to say her final goodbyes to her intimate family and to her numerous friends. The next 20 days were a process of letting go of the life that she led. Florence was born on a farm in Cross Plains, Wis., to the German farmers Agnes Virnig and Otto Schulenberg. Her life was hard and challenging from the beginning. Tongue-tied for six years since birth, Florence had an aunt who finally took it into her own hands to release her from a communication bondage. Florence learned to talk and, throughout her life, pronounced words in an endearing way. She had little schooling, not going much beyond the sixth grade. She fondly remembers riding five or six miles on a horse with her brothers, sometimes racing to get to the school. When they could use the open car and pile in the rumble seats for the long ride to school, it was a treat. School was not an everyday affair, as she was kept home frequently to do the women’s work on the farm from an early age. Florence did it all. She helped prepare and cook the food, kept the fires, and did the laundry work. She worked the gardens and helped deliver her mother’s babies. Her beloved mother’s last baby resulted in the death of both. Florence carried that day throughout her life. During World War II, she took a job in the Ray o Vac factory, making vehicle and communication batteries for the war effort. She received performance award ribbons and citations for her work, and, even in her nineties, she could demonstrate with her quick hands how to put a battery together. It must have helped her in her later life, when she was always playing with a large spread of bingo cards — she was known to be quite successful in her winnings. She also worked in the café as a short-order cook and waitress. It was frequented by soldiers training for the war, and, one day, Frank Miles of Huntington walked in and asked her for a date. They married on October 14, 1944. They had only had a few days together when Frank was ordered in the middle of the night by the military police to report for a ship bound to…
100-year-old Huntington woman lived humbly on her farm, where she loved her bees, maple trees and cows
Florence Sophia Miles celebrated her 100th birthday on October 4, 2022, outdoors at the Sterling House in Richmond. She was able to say her final goodbyes to her intimate family and to her numerous friends. The next 20 days were a process of letting go of the life that she led. Florence was born on a farm in Cross Plains, Wis., to the German farmers Agnes Virnig and Otto Schulenberg. Her life was hard and challenging from the beginning. Tongue-tied for six years since birth, Florence had an aunt who finally took it into her own hands to release her from a communication bondage. Florence learned to talk and, throughout her life, pronounced words in an endearing way. She had little schooling, not going much beyond the sixth grade. She fondly remembers riding five or six miles on a horse with her brothers, sometimes racing to get to the school. When they could use the open car and pile in the rumble seats for the long ride to school, it was a treat. School was not an everyday affair, as she was kept home frequently to do the women’s work on the farm from an early age. Florence did it all. She helped prepare and cook the food, kept the fires, and did the laundry work. She worked the gardens and helped deliver her mother’s babies. Her beloved mother’s last baby resulted in the death of both. Florence carried that day throughout her life. During World War II, she took a job in the Ray o Vac factory, making vehicle and communication batteries for the war effort. She received performance award ribbons and citations for her work, and, even in her nineties, she could demonstrate with her quick hands how to put a battery together. It must have helped her in her later life, when she was always playing with a large spread of bingo cards — she was known to be quite successful in her winnings. She also worked in the café as a short-order cook and waitress. It was frequented by soldiers training for the war, and, one day, Frank Miles of Huntington walked in and asked her for a date. They married on October 14, 1944. They had only had a few days together when Frank was ordered in the middle of the night by the military police to report for a ship bound to…