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Family, friends help 'Tilly' turn 100 By Jennifer Nitson Ashland Daily Tidings Mathilda "Tilly" Klabunde celebrated a century of life surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A long banquet table in the dining room at Mountain View Retirement Residence was festooned with balloons and flowers Thursday in honor of the birthday, and relatives traveled from across the country and Canada to share this day with Tilly. Mathilda Klabunde smiles widely at her birthday bash on Thursday. Ashland Daily Tidings/CHRIS MILLER Tilly's great-grandchild, Lindsey Willstatter, was the youngest reveler at 9 years old. She sat regarding her orange Jello as she reflected on her great-grandmother's 100 years of life. "Amazing," she concluded. "It's neat hearing all the stories about when she came over." Born at the dawn of the 20th century, Tilly has seen a lot of life and a lot of changes, though for all her many years and experience she is a humble woman of few words as she tells her story. Though she has been in the United States for three-quarters of a century, her German accent is still distinctive. Born in Austria on Jan. 30, 1903, Tilly moved to Prussia when she was 6. "There I grew up and went to school and went through the first World War," Tilly said. "I got married in 1924. My husband had a pass already to come to this country. We came to Minnesota where my husband had relatives who sponsored us." In Minnesota, Tilly and her husband went to night school for instruction in English. Tilly's husband, who had apprenticed as a tailor in Germany, opened a dry-cleaning business. Tilly focused on the duties of wife and mother, raising up her two children, Richard and Edie. After World War II, Tilly supported her home country by sending care packages to feed the hungry. Tilly has lived in Ashland for over 20 years. Life-long pursuits such as knitting and crocheting still keep her busy and she relishes a good game of pinochle. When asked to what she attributes such a long life, Tilly said simply, "I always worked hard at everything." LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -