Elizabeth Slater Kessler, daughter of Grace Ellen (Davidson) and Clarence Coulter Slater, was born May 22, 1904, in Columbus, Ohio.
Elizabeth went to work at age 16 at Dunn-Taft department store in Columbus. In her little work room, she made all kinds of things: flowers out of ribbons, wedding veils and "whatever else they asked" of her. She worked on treadle sewing machines, first a Singer and then a White. Before she left the store at age 21, they had furnished her with an electric machine.
She left Dunn-Taft for an opportunity to attend a Methodist girls' school in Cleveland, Tenn. She spent two years at Centenary College - not college as we now know it - before returning to Columbus. At age 24, she returned to North High School in Columbus to get her diploma. Her motivation for getting that diploma? She wanted to go to Mount Carmel Nurses Training School.
One of her good friends at Mount Carmel lived nearby in the country and, since she and Elizabeth had the same day off, her friend would take her out to the family farm. Elizabeth fell for her friend's brother, Paul Ambrose Kessler. And so, with only a year left of nursing training, Elizabeth and Paul decided that they wanted to marry and to have children - not something the school would allow.
They married May 7, 1932, at Holy Name Catholic Church in Columbus. They moved to St. Petersburg in 1964. Together they had 10 children. Of the children, four now live in Ohio: Albert Vincent and Daniel Joseph, Columbus; Michael Anthony and Thomas Dennis, Laurelville; and five live in Pinellas County: Kenneth Augustus and Clotilda Anne Renard, Seminole; Mabel Johanna Schneider, Catherine Elizabeth Frazier and Mary Ellen Tisdale, St. Petersburg; and Philip Paul lives in Spring Hill. "Oh, I loved my babies," Mrs. Kessler said in a recent telephone interview. The family has grown to include 30 grandchildren, 52 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.
Paul Kessler died Aug. 20, 1979.
Elizabeth keeps her mind active doing word search puzzles, playing solitaire and assembling jigsaw puzzles.
- We think that living 100 years is worth our taking notice. If you or a family member is about to celebrate a 100th birthday or more, please let us know. Include the following information: the person's full name, date of birth, place of birth, parents' names (including mother's maiden name) if known, name of spouse (if applicable), marriage date, names of children and number of grandchildren (if applicable), length of time the person has lived in this area and a phone number in case we have questions. Also, please include a photo that doesn't need to be returned. We'll publish the information as close to the birthday as possible. Send the information to 100-year Birthdays, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731-1121 or fax to (727) 893-8675.
