Roselle helps woman celebrate 100th birthday with drive-by parade

Born on a farm in an area that was about to become Roselle, Ethel Schwolow celebrated her 100th birthday in the same hometown she calls "so near and dear to me."

The centenarian's birthday was marked Friday with a drive-by parade organized by family friend Christine Fasse that included fire and police department vehicles, friends and well-wishers. Schwolow was greeted with honking horns and waves from participants who stopped to wish her a happy birthday.

Fasse organized the event to bring joy to Schwolow, who was unable to see her close friends and family as a result of the pandemic.

"I am so thankful that the village did this for someone like me," Schwolow said. "I felt like a princess. It was my special day."

Schwolow was born Feb. 19, 1921, a year before Roselle was incorporated as a village.

In her early life, she worked on her family's farm that later became part of the Clauss Recreational Center, tending to livestock and growing fruit during the Great Depression with her husband, Howard.

Schwolow's childhood came with various highs and lows, ranging from a near-death experience at 10 years old when she nearly drowned in a vat of milk on the farm, to visiting the 1933 "A Century of Progress World's Fair" in Chicago when she was 12 years old.

Later, she worked as a corresponding secretary for beauty company Avon Products for 42 years until age 73.

Schwolow traveled the world but always returned to Roselle, where she has lived for her entire life. She credits her family and her experience in farming for building her character and keeping her rooted to the village.

"I've watched it grow as I've grown over the years. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat," Schwolow said.

Her daughter, Diane Meiggs, 76, lives near Denver and two grandsons, Steven and Darren, live in Tampa. Meiggs has been staying with her mother recently because of the pandemic.

"She is not vaccinated and neither am I," Meiggs said. "It's completely curtailed her social life and I value her safety."

Meiggs said her mother is active and independent. She drives, trades in the stock market and played golf until she was 90 with her close friends from high school.

She began traveling after her husband died in 1999, taking trips across Europe, Africa and Asia. Schwolow credits her independent, hardworking mindset for her long life.

"My motto is work hard, play hard, and walk with your maker," Schwolow said.

• Trey Arline is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.