'I feel so proud,' Elgin woman says of turning 105
At the age of 105, Helen Baier is a woman of few words but plenty of big smiles.
Baier reached her milestone birthday Nov. 2 at The Sheridan at Tyler Creek retirement community in Elgin, where she's lived for about two years. She is well-liked by staff members, who joke she's their resident celebrity.
When asked about the secret to make it to her age, Baier said simply, “I think helping people.” Helping people how? “In the things that they do every day.”
Born Nov. 2, 1914, Baier grew up in Woodstock and started working at a typewriter factory before she finished high school, following in the footsteps of her sister. “Because she was so good, they let her bring me in,” she said.
Baier then worked at a dress shop in Woodstock, where she also did sewing and alterations, and eventually was hired at the former Ackemann's department store in downtown Elgin, where she sold women's clothing.
She and her late husband, Donald, who died in his 80s, were married for nearly five decades. When asked how they met, she replied, “On a date.” When asked what her husband was like, her reply was, “Wonderful.”
Baier doesn't have children, but her nephew, Mike Murphy, visits her often. Murphy's wife, Mary Kay, said Baier always took care of herself without being vain. “When her hearing started to go, she got a hearing aid. She always did what she needed to do for herself.”
Baier used to love golf and martinis, which she can't quite enjoy anymore, but still has a legendary sweet tooth, her nephew said.
She's in overall OK health, although she recently took a fall and has a tendency to suffer from respiratory issues.
“I'm watching that like a hawk,” said nurse Dita Winters, who works for Kindred Hospice and has about a dozen patients at The Sheridan at Tyler Creek.
Tamara Srdanovich, clinical liaison for Kindred Hospice, said she met Baier about two months ago and has been impressed by her spirit and resilience. “She's amazing,” she said.
These days, Baier enjoys watching fellow retirement home residents do puzzles and flower arrangements. But mostly, she loves to spend time with her new best friend, fellow resident Ila Schraw, 87. The two were so close that for a while, Baier slept on Schraw's couch until staff members put an end to that.
“We just sit and visit, or we go to music (events at the retirement home),” Schraw said. “We just hit it off. She always tells me not to give up.”
So how does it feel to reach 105?
“I feel so proud,” Baier said.