Mimi insists you get the age right: 105 and a half.
That half matters if you’re in kindergarten, or if you’ve crossed into the triple digits.
Born in Minneapolis in February 1920 at the old Swedish Hospital, Mimi — the plucky centenarian with a fondness for hats — has lived through world wars, the Depression, and 19 presidencies.
Mimi married her husband in 1943, and together they shared 57 years of marriage. The couple raised three sons, and today she treasures every opportunity to see her four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren when they’re able to visit.
A lifelong resident of Edina, Mimi now makes her home in a “pretty little apartment” inside an assisted living facility, where she still lives independently aside from weekly housekeeping and meals in the dining hall.
“These days I’m on the food committee,” she said, noting she hears plenty of suggestions and her fair share of complaints. “They’ve taken a lot of the salt out of the soup.”
A heart for the youth
Mimi attended college at a time when few women did, majoring in English and history. After marriage, she settled into what she calls her favorite role — motherhood.
“I love being a mother!” said Mimi, who enjoyed life as a homemaker and later served as a nanny for younger families in her neighborhood.
She says she loves all children and longs for the days when school groups would come to the senior home to sing — a practice halted by COVID.
“We used to have kids come and entertain us, and if I had one thing I’d want to accomplish for my 106th birthday it would be to get them to come back,” she said.
A busy life in ‘retirement’
Though she’s nearly blind and deaf, Mimi is hardly idle. She teaches her neighbor across the hall to play poker, makes trips to the family cabin (“We’re going duck hunting, what else?”), and remains a dedicated thrift shopper.
Her favorite meal? “I’m not Italian, but I think I could eat spaghetti every night.”
She keeps up her exercise, too. “I have a walker that I depend on and I try to walk outside, as long as the weather permits. Because they say if you don’t use it, you lose it,” she said.
The not-so-secret to longevity
When asked the secret to living so long, Mimi just shook her head.
“Well, I couldn’t possibly give you the answer because I don’t know myself,” she chuckled. “I come from a family that does not have longevity, and I don’t have siblings to compare my longevity to. But here I am — and for all it’s worth, I don’t recommend it!”
Mimi does credit her sense of humor for keeping her young — at least at heart.
“I think I was probably born with a smile … I like humorous, you know. There doesn’t seem to be much humor anymore in literature and I don’t watch television because I can’t see it, but I can find a smile or humor in all kinds of things.”
And while Mimi doesn’t claim to know the secret to longevity, she offers advice about living with gratitude — especially to those in the assisted living facility, most of whom, she wryly points out, are “young enough to be my children.”
“Find something that you can be happy about and look rightly at the day coming,” Mimi said. “People tend to draw in negativity so much nowadays, and I can hardly blame them. But on the other hand, I think it’s important to have hope and thankfulness.”
As for ways to avoid starting the day on the wrong foot, Mimi’s morning ritual sums it up best.
“When I get up in the morning … I try to think of something that I’m thankful for. It’s a sunny day. It could be a BM — BMs are very popular around here!”
And though the English major can no longer make out the words on a page, her joy in literature remains. These days she “reads” by listening to recordings on a book reader provided by the blind society.
“My hearing is practically gone, but I can hear the recordings on these disks as clear as day,” Mimi said. “My favorite is John Grisham. I love his novels, and when I read his books I felt like I could become a lawyer.”
Taking life day by day
At 105 ½, Mimi has no secret diet and no interest in living forever.
“I have no desire for any extended life,” she said matter-of-factly. Mimi has even told her doctor she does not want to be resuscitated.
“I have lived far beyond any desire and I’m thankful for the life I’ve had … I take each day as it is and try to find some joy in the world.”
That joy may come in the form of spaghetti, a new John Grisham audiobook — or simply, as Mimi would put it, a good BM.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
