Raised a “city-girl,” Jean Koebel wasn’t used to life on the farm or riding in a horse and buggy.
Jean, who will celebrate her 102nd birthday next month, spent an afternoon with me, her Area Agency on Aging care manager, and reflected on her life experiences.
Jean married the love of her life, Mike Koebel, at the age of 19. They lived and worked on a 300-acre farm in the rolling hillside on the outskirts of St. Joseph. They grew corn, soybeans and hay, and raised horses, cattle, steer and pigs.
They also raised three strong, loving kids – two of whom sat with us during our chat. They have 13 grandkids, and numerous great-grands, too. Their family is large and full of love.
When Jean wasn’t dancing polkas at the Shadowland Ballroom, she enjoyed going camping with her family at Swan Lake, baking cake, cooking meatloaf, volunteering for charities, assisting with elections and maintaining local parks. She has been to every Berrien County Youth Fair since the fair’s inception in 1946.
She worked as a bookkeeper for a grocery store, organizing orders and grocery deliveries. Following that, she became the secretary for the family farm. They had a seed company called Funks G Hybrid, which was very successful, and later worked with the company Golden Harvest.
Jean was, and remains, a busy lady.
In 2001, her husband passed away. He had been in a care facility for a couple of years prior to his passing. Jean has lived independently in her home ever since.
In 2018, Jean had a stroke. She, too, spent some time in a care facility. While she received quality care, she was adamant about returning home.
I came to know Jean in 2019 through AAA when Jean enrolled in the MI Choice Waiver program. The program provides services to patrons in their home, enabling quality living in their setting of choice.
Jean enjoys many aspects of the program, and her ability to stay home and in the community. With her warm smile, she explains that her favorite part of the program and being at home is that “life goes on here.” She visits with family, friends and neighbors. She can watch the neighborhood, and keep up with the friendly gossip. She’s a part of the community while at home, and she prefers it that way.
Jean enjoys spending time with her caregivers, who come to help her every day. She especially enjoys it when her caregiver reads her the newspaper or church bulletin, something she struggles to do. The caregivers provide companionship in addition to necessary hands-on and household care.
Jean receives home-delivered meals and liquid supplements, a nurse who comes once weekly to assist with medication oversight and health monitoring, and an emergency button in case she falls and needs assistance.
Through the waiver program she was able to purchase a sit-down cycler, which she proudly reports she uses 2-3 times a week for 15 minutes at a time. She imagines she is biking to the beach and celebrates reaching far distances.
A lot of things have changed in the last 100 years. Jean’s favorite development has been the telephone, as she enjoys connecting with family and friends far away. She wishes technology wasn’t so prevalent with today’s youth, as she fondly reflects on spending hours under the streetlights, telling ghost stories and playing marbles.
Not many people are blessed to reach the age of 100, let alone 102. Jean explains that good food and milk have helped her stay healthy. She shares that it’s very important to try and remain as independent as possible, something she can do living at home – something she is doing with the help of Area Agency on Aging.