Woman celebrates a century in Elgin
Alice Krieger doesn't look a day north of 80.
But birthday cupcakes don't lie.
Krieger, of Elgin, turned 100 on Friday and celebrated in the lobby of the Center City Apartments in Elgin. Krieger has lived in the city her entire life. For the past 15 years, she has lived at the senior apartment building, unassisted and in good health.
“It's no big deal,” she said of her milestone. “I'm just living from day to day.”
Not the kind who likes to be the center of attention, she said she was a bit nervous about the party. But she loves to socialize with groups of people and does it regularly at her building. “I enjoy people,” she said.
It's something she learned to love when she started volunteering for Sherman Hospital as a teenager back in the Roaring ‘20s.
Krieger's great nephew Jeff Forrester of East Dundee described her as tenacious. “She's like the Energizer rabbit. Just keeps going, and going and going.”
He said she is the first in the family to reach 100.
Jean and Arnold Schroeder of Elgin have been her friends for more than 60 years. They talked about how they were always visiting with each other, including fishing trips and visits to the roller derby.
Jean met Alice while working at the watch factory in 1950.
Mildred Shirley of Elgin shared that when she and Alice leave their favorite lunch spot, Alice tells the waitresses: “We're going to go chase men now.”
So, what does one give to a girl on her 100th birthday?
Her friends wrapped up a plush puppy, chocolates, stationery, candies, a hundred dollar bill, and a roll of liver sausage for sandwiches.