In 1919 The Great War had just ended, Americans were driving Model-Ts to silent movies and a dollar went a long way. The average price of bread was 10 cents, butter cost 68 cents and eggs were 63 cents. A middle-class family made about $1,500 per year.

And four SKLD Zeeland residents were just getting started. Last week SKLD Zeeland residents and staff all celebrated the lives of four centenarians: Lois Davis, born June 2, 1916; Mary Grace Schwass, born September 27, 1917; Elsie Howard, born October 29, 1918; and Evelyn Hamstra, born April 30, 1916. The party was a testament to the loving, supportive skilled nursing environment where they are living their second century to the fullest.

The residents and their families were all invited to come celebrate with us. SKLD Life Enrichment Director Rachael Stapley says they contacted the residents’ families prior to the party to learn more about their loved ones’ past, jobs they had, places they traveled, their childhood and hobbies. They gathered photos from the residents’ lives and created a poster for each and a slideshow. Everyone also enjoyed playing SKLDs 1919 edition of the Price is Right, where they guessed the prices of household items from 100 years ago.