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Community Corner

Meet Stella Kittel, 103

"I gave up my drivers license when I was 99."

I had the privledge of interviewing Stella Kittel on Saturday May  7, which was her 103rd birthday.  Stella had appeared on the Scott Haney show on Channel 3 the day before.  I asked her if Scott Haney was funny. "He was licking the cake , and he wanted to know if I wanted some," she said with a smile.

Stella Kittel has lived her entire life in Manchester. For seventy years she owned a home on Bissel Street. "I used to mow the lawn and shovel the snow until I was 90, but the upkeep got to be too much" she remarked. I know why Stella's age group has been called the "greatest generation."

Timothy Becker: Stella, when were you born?

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Stella Kittel: I was born on May 7, 1908. Today is my birthday.

Timothy Becker: What are the earliest things that you remember?

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Stella Kittel: I remember the First World War and the flu epidemic.

Timothy Becker: What schools did you attend?

Stella Kittel: I attended the Eighth District School and the Buckland School for a year. I went back to the Eighth District School for seventh and eighth grade. I had to take the trolley car to school from Hilliardville to North Manchester. It cost 10 cents. If I missed the trolley I had to walk home through the woods.

Timothy Becker: Did you attend Manchester High School?

Stella Kittel: I quit school in ninth grade. My Dad agreed to it as long as I went to work. I got a job at the Hilliardville Mill where the restaurant is now (the Adams Mill Restaurant). I became a pattern maker and worked there until 1937 when the mill closed down.

Timothy Becker: What did you do next?

Stella Kittel: I got a job at Hale’s Department Store. That was the depression so I only worked two days a week. I worked for 25 cents per hour.

I did get a promotion as a cashier in the grocery store, which was in the basement. I worked for fifteen years at Hale’s grocery store. I met my husband at a party during that time.

Timothy Becker: Did your future husband ask you out after you met him at the party?

Stella Kittel: Yes, that was in 1938. He asked me out for the following week, and it turned out to be the night the hurricane struck. He couldn’t come over because part of the roof of his house had blown off, and he was up there trying to repair it. We went out the following week. He wanted to run away and get married but I said no, and we were married a year later.

Timothy Becker: Do you remember your wedding reception?

Stella Kittel: We had our reception at Fiano’s in Bolton. We could only afford to invite 50 guests. The dinner was chicken and spaghetti and it cost $1.25 a plate. We were married on Memorial Day. We went to stay at a friend’s house in New London and we were back to work on Wednesday.

Timothy Becker: Did you continue to work after you were married?

Stella Kittel: I went to the Morse Business School at night. I was then hired by Aetna and worked there for fifteen years. I became a supervisor in the records department. I retired in 1973. My husband had become ill and I took care of him and my mother for ten years.

Timothy Becker: Do you have a special diet or exercise program?

Stella Kittel: I am careful about what I eat. I don’t eat any fatty foods. I always order small portions and clean my plate. I take two walks a day for about 20-30 minutes. I walk all around the inside of the building here at the Arbors. I have never had the flu or other serious illness. I thank God for my good health. I knit or crochet every day. I make one hat almost every week.

Timothy Becker: What are you most looking forward to in 2011?

Stella Kittel: When I go to bed at night I thank God for today. I hope that I get up tomorrow. If I don’t I’ll never know the difference.

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