After 100 years, a Perham resident reveals the secret to a long and fulfilling life – Perham Focus

PERHAM – One would think that after a century of massive change, Perham resident Jean Sailer’s memory would be full of inventions and historic worldly moments. After all, she lived through World War II, watched men walk on the moon for the first time, and saw plumbing, washing machines, and microwave ovens become commonplace in homes.

But for Jean, who turned 100 on December 1, these things don’t matter. For her, precious memories were created with those she loves.

Jean grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota. Daily tasks included looking after the dairy cows as well as plucking and harvesting the crops.

When the chores were done, Jean said she and her five siblings enjoyed themselves, which sometimes resulted in mischief and injury. One such case involved a rogue sheep. Her sister decided to pick up a stone and throw it to scare the sheep, who lined up again. However, it hit Jean directly in the head.

Barbie Porter / Perham Focus

“It’s still tender,” she said with a half-smile. “Another time, the same sister and I were in the hay rack loading hay into the barn. She grabbed one of the straps and tried to swing it from the hay rack into the barn. Which she did. I tried, but I couldn’t do it.”

According to Jeans, she believes that most people might find their lives boring and sheltered. Because of a lack of transportation, they rarely left the farm and had little knowledge of what was happening in the city or across the country.

“We didn’t get a newspaper,” she explained.

For Jean, Christmas was a highlight of his childhood. The family gathered in a horse-drawn sleigh and took a five-kilometer ride to their grandmother’s house.

“My mother always put a few bricks in the oven to warm them up (before the sleigh ride),” she said. “She put them in the sleigh to keep us warm.”

When Jean turned 12, she mourned her father’s death.

“It was a pretty big loss,” she said.

To make ends meet, her mother started becoming a door-to-door salesman, selling Avon products. Her mother instilled in her a strong work ethic.

Jean graduated from high school in 1941 at age 17. Her plans for growing up were simple: find a good man to marry. She received a tip that two of her former teachers were single and gave their addresses.

Barbie Porter / Perham Focus

“I sent a letter to both of them and one of them responded,” she said. “And in the end he was my husband.”

Jean said her husband Archie, who died in May 2004, joined the Army in 1941. After a courtship, the two married in June 1943. Shortly thereafter, Jean said, her husband was “shipped” to England. During his absence she wrote to him almost every day.

When Archie returned, Jean was told to meet him at the Minneapolis airport.

Barbie Porter / Perham Focus

“I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to be or how to find him,” she said. “I went up the stairs and there he was, coming down.”

A cinematic moment worthy of a romantic film followed as the two ran towards each other and hugged. The two were finally able to begin building their life together in Big Fork, Minnesota. Archie returned as a teacher and Jean became the mother of eight children. While she loved raising her six boys and two girls, her favorite part of motherhood was “going to bed at night.”

The family had to make a few moves between landing in the Perham area in the late 1940s. Her son Ray fondly remembered how his mother was always at school events, supporting them and offering advice on good behavior when one of her children misbehaved.

“I can still see her standing up and walking across the entire gym just to sit next to me,” he said, adding that her presence ended his evening fun.

When her youngest started kindergarten, Jean entered the workforce. She took a job at a bank in Frazee until the Sailers decided to buy a resort.

Jean believes they purchased the Rose Lake Resort in 1956. She explained that Archie had the summers off and the two thought the resort would be a good business venture.

“You know, teachers needed something to do in the summer,” she said.

The resort provided her and her family with many memories, but one that doesn’t involve her family involves a fisherman in an outhouse. She was tending to a cabin and looked out the window to see a guest leaving the outhouse with a fishing rod in hand. Concerned about what he was fishing for, Jean investigated.

“It turns out he dropped his wallet,” she recalled, adding that the man was able to fish his wallet out of the latrine. “We then decided to equip all cabins with indoor plumbing.”

Jean’s daughter, Ann Nordmeier, remembers that her mother was always a hard worker and never complained. Which wasn’t always good. Nordmeier said the family planted hundreds of trees at the resort and her mother suffered a heart attack.

This memory confirmed Jean’s wisdom that “the secret to a long life is not to overdo it.” She added that the secret to a successful and fulfilling life is spending time with family and praying that everyone is healthy.

Barbie Porter / Perham Focus