Happy birthday, Helen Hilpipre!

On Tuesday, the Meadows Assisted Living held a birthday celebration for their oldest tenant, Helen Hilpipre, who turned 104. Helen, who is also one of Clarion’s oldest residents, spent most of her life here, and consequently got to see our area go through a lot of changes—and got to know many local people.

“Everybody knows Helen Hilpipre,” said Ryan Lobdell, staff member at the Meadows.

Helen was born Helen Berg on February 9, 1912. Though she was born in Ft. Dodge, Helen said she lived in Clarion almost all of her life, except for a period after WWII where she moved with her military husband.

Some memories from her childhood are fuzzy, but Helen remembered how it was talked about for a long time when the Titanic sank, just two months after she was born. “That was big news, considering it was nothing but horse and buggy days. You really didn’t get around much,” she said. She also remembers when Clarion had dirt roads.

Helen lived through the 1918 influenza outbreak and the Great Depression. “When you got through with that, you were a different person,” she said. “It was tough.”

 

For the full story, see the February 11 edition of the Monitor.

Wright County Monitor

P.O. Box 153
Clarion, IA 50525
Phone: 515-532-2871
Email: news@wrightcountymonitor.com

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