MANSFIELD – Wandering through Primrose of Mansfield’s hallways quickly leads one to the ensemble of six portraits hanging on the wall.
Above those portraits reads “The Triple Digit Club,” with each resident’s name and age beneath them. Last week, the community added a sixth to the bunch, Rosemary Couch.
Couch joins three more 100-year-olds, a 102-year-old and a 103-year-old in the club. She gets around with a walker – which is standard at Primrose – and used it to get to her birthday party last week. She was joined by her friends and family in the dining area, as well as the staff, whom she adores; another commonality at Primrose.
Each one of the centenarians will let you know how much they appreciate the work of Primrose’s staff, and each of the staff will glow talking about their residents.
Executive Director of Primrose of Mansfield, Allison Campbell, knows her residents’ quirks and stories by heart. Though she’s only been in her current position for five years, Campbell’s spent her career caring for elders in many ways, working in physical therapy for 20 years prior.
“They’re what make Primrose so special,” Campbell said. “Our residents inspire us every day, and we’re grateful to be a part of their journey and share their lives with them.”
The oldest of the bunch, Ed Powell, is 103. After graduating from college at Ohio State University, he worked on the atomic bombs deployed at the end of World War II. Now, he’s an active part of the community at Primrose, who talks to his two living daughters every day.
Others, like 100-year-old Doris Lurtz, worked at a hospital for three years before settling down as a stay-at-home mother, raising her children. Now, she has fun being “old, crabby and ornery,” with the staff and other residents.
One-hundred-year-old Billie Porter breathes life into gathering with her piano playing. She plays by ear, never needing sheet music. She is known throughout Primrose for her rendition of “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra.
Margaret Ellen Code, the second-oldest at Primrose at 102, is framed on “The Triple Digit Club” display dressed as a flapper, holding a mock mugshot sign claiming she was arrested for loving life. Campbell said it’s fitting for her character.
Stella Sutter, the fourth 100-year-old in the group of six centenarians, enjoys the groups she plays bridge with at Primrose, visits from her family and the books her grandchildren recommend her.
The six centenarians all come from different backgrounds and have been with Primrose for different spans of time. Powell has lived in the community for 17 years, and many of the staff look at him like family.
“It’s their home,” Campbell said. “We’re just fortunate we get to work in it.”
