Life-long Franklin County resident Virginia “Virgie” Hunt recently celebrated her 100th birthday. The birthday party held in her honor was a true testament to a life well lived, as hundreds of people came out to wish Virgie a happy birthday personally. 

“She has been such a prime example to me of how you should live your life,” her great-niece Sarah said. “Her word is her honor. She has done things for everybody, never expecting anything in return. She’s just an example for everybody. She is friendly to everybody and never meets a stranger; she’s giving.”

Virgie sat down to share memories, advice, and the highlights of her life that make it so special.

Virgie was the baby of eight children, with 19 years spanning between her and her eldest sister. She was raised on a farm in Franklin County, where she was delivered by a doctor who came on horseback. The farm is also where she first learned about hard work. 

“We had a hillside farm, and on top of that, here is what we had: a strawberry patch and northern beans,” Virgie explained. “We pounded the Great Northerns out with a ball bat, enough for the winter. And then my mom ran them through the oven so the bugs didn’t get them. Then she sorted them out and put all the bad ones in a container. We had beans all winter. My sister and I had to carry them off the hill with a crate. And that’s the reason I say work don’t hurt nobody. My dad seen that you worked. If you sat around the table, you had plenty of chores.” 

One of Virgie’s favorite childhood pastimes was fishing, and she was quick to say not only did she fish, but she cleaned and cooked them, too.

“We fished a lot,” Virgie said. “We lived close to the river. We’d take my mom even. My mom, my sister, and I would go with an old cane pole and worms and fish, catch little bluegills and clean them. They were delicious.”

Virgie also noted she loved dancing on Saturday nights but stated no matter how much dancing she did on a Saturday night, she “got her butt up and went to church Sunday morning.” She has been a St. Thomas Lutheran Church member since she was born and still attends today. She was baptized and married there. 

Working hard continued throughout Virgie’s life and paid off. Thanks to her work ethic, there wasn’t much she couldn’t learn. 

“I even worked as a chemist,” Virgie said. “I never knew anymore about working in a lab than nothing. But I was a worker , and they can tell your account of working. I worked in a lab for 12 years and didn’t know nothing about it but I learnt. It was hard work and a very important job.”

After Virgie met and married her husband, they continued to work hard together on their farm and had a successful marriage. She shared, “If you are married and you don’t work together and you get a divorce, what do you gain? If you can’t say something good about your husband or wife, then don’t say anything at all.”  

Although they never had children, Virgie has been like a grandmother and mother to many. She recalled a little boy she met while she and her husband stayed in Florida that she bonded with.

“There was a boy that I took care of on the pier,” Virgie reminisced. “Their dad would come and say this kid is real unruly. Can you watch him? I told him if he didn’t mind me once, I would take care of him anymore. But the little guy needed a mother, and I was like his mother. So he got into my lunch bucket and just made himself at home. He got so he minded me real good.” 

Virgie also experienced the repercussions of World War II as her brother served in the Navy. She shared he only made $17 a month and was desperate to come home.

“He was homesick,” Virgie said.  When my brother was in the Navy, he would write to me every week, and he would say, “Tell mom to plant two rows of spinach because I want it the way she fixes it. I can eat a row by myself.’ That’s how homesick he was. It was terrible. He cried to come home. That’s how bad it was. But I wrote to him every week. One time, they were torpedoed, and they were underwater for they didn’t know how long.” 

Virgie noted that a lot has changed since she grew up. “My cousin and I don’t know anything about cell phones. My cousin’s box gets full, and he doesn’t know what to do. We know nothing. It’s good, but there are things that are bad. I don’t like television the way they run it. I think it’s wrong. If you think something, why run the other party down? I think it’s so bad, and I can’t hardly listen to the TV.” 

Now, Virgie enjoys cooking, gardening, canning, cleaning fish, hymn singing on Sunday, and activities at Fairbrook Manor, where she resides. However, Virgie most treasures the visits and relationships with her friends and family. Virgie says the reason her relationships are so strong is simple: “I treat people right without a doubt. You have to be a friend to have a friend.”  And a friend she is.

“I told her I’m so thankful for her because every time I visit, I didn’t get to meet my grandparents but I feel like I know them through her,” Sarah said. “She has taught us so much about our family, how to cook, how to save, how to love. When you come here, you are fed and taken care of even if you aren’t hungry.” 

Writer’s Note: Virgie, it was a pleasure to meet you! Thank you for taking the time to sit down with me and share your beautiful stories. I have made a new friend I look forward to visiting again. Happy Birthday, Virgie!