Happy 100th, Eloise Mosley

It’s not every day a member of the Montgomery community turns 100 years old.

On Wednesday, Eloise Mosley, who grew up in Montgomery and lived there for most of her life, reached that milestone. Mosley was born on Sept. 7, 1911, and lived for decades in a small cottage in the 200 block of South River Street.

For the last 10 years, Mosley has lived at the Hillside Nursing Home in Yorkville. On Wednesday, members of her family—including her nephew Rich Messenger (and his wife Dita), her nieces Barbara Peck, Pat Torrance, Jeannie Wollenweber and Alice Seidelman, and her cousin Esther Swanson, with her daughter Martha—gathered to celebrate.

Eloise married her husband Dick Mosley in 1938. Five years later, Dick Mosley died of pneumonia while serving in World War II. She never remarried.

“She still talks about him like he’s coming home tonight,” Rich Messenger said.

Mosley is in great physical health, her family members said, and while her short-term memory is fading, her recall of events from decades past is strong. As several family members said Wednesday, her secret is wrapped up in her motto: “You do what you have to do.”

“I’m so glad so many people could be here today,” Rich Messenger said.

For Eloise Mosley’s story, read Pat Torrance’s column .