Weed resident Doris Rhodefer celebrated her 100th birthday on March 24, surrounded by her family, who provided some information about her life for the Siskiyou Daily News.
Rhodefer was born Doris Maxine Truitt in Darlington, Missouri, in 1918. She graduated from Moberly High School in Moberly, Missouri, then attended junior college and cosmetology school, but decided the latter was not for her.
She went to work for Mattingly’s dime store in the candy department, mainly because her brother, Joe, was a manager there. The store owner eventually began complaining that Rhodefer was having too much fun with the customers and chatting too much with them, so she left the store. The owner later asked her to come back, saying that she was good for business, but Rhodefer already had other plans.
In 1938, Rhodefer met her future husband, Charles Rhodefer, whom she married two years later. When she was pregnant with her son, Ron, Doris and Charles learned that Charles had been drafted in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
After Charles completed his service, he and Doris and their son, Ron, settled in Kansas City, Missouri, and Charles went to work for the now-defunct Trans World Airlines.
After Charles retired and Ron had grown up, Charles and Doris purchased a 17 foot long trailer and traveled around the United States. When Charles’ health began to fail, the couple moved to Redding, California, to be closer to their son. They resided at River Oaks Retirement Community for six years where Doris was an avid reader, led an exercise class, called Bingo and went on lunch outings.
When Rhodefer was in her early 90s, she recovered from breast cancer, and later, recovered from seven months of being afflicted by shingles.
Rhodefer is now a resident at Shasta View Estates in Weed, where she dresses herself, keeps a journal and enjoys word searches. She goes shopping and has outings to Mount Shasta for Bingo and lunch. She also goes for strolls, sings in group events and keeps up with new events by visiting while getting her hair permed or while getting a manicure.
Rhodefer told her family that she is in good spirits 98 percent of the time, eats well and loves the girls who take care of her at Shasta View Estates. Her family noted that one of Rhodefer’s favorite sayings is, “I like a good story with a happy ending.”
credit:siskiyoudaily.com