Fowlerville News and Views Online

Fowlerville resident Vera Liechti observed her 100th birthday on Saturday
    Vera Liechti, who has lived in Fowlerville for many years, observed her 100th birthday on Saturday at a celebration held with family and friends at St. Agnes Catholic Church’s Lothemer Parish Center.
   Mrs. Liechti was born on August 16, 1916 in Bono, Ohio. Her parents were David and Rose (Shinevar) Brower. “My father was a farmer and my mother was a homemaker,” said Vera.
    She is the oldest of nine children. Her siblings included Neva Paye (deceased), Francis Brower (deceased), Marion Hanifan, Herman Brower, Carol Perkins, Rosemary Elliott (deceased), Joann Perkins, and Katherine Lucas. The youngest of her siblings is 79 years old.

   The family moved from Ohio to Allegan, a community located in western Michigan. She grew up during the 1920s and early ‘30s. “I worked in the vegetable fields with my dad,” she said. “I also helped take care of my younger brothers and sisters.”
   She married Howard Liechti in March of 1935. He was employed by United Airlines as a lead mechanic. They moved to the Fowlerville area in 1947. 
    Vera’s work history included employment at McPherson Health Center and the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department as a dietary supervisor. Other highlights of her long life, along with those jobs, have been raising her four children and in later years enjoying her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
   Her four children are Howard (Sonny) and Regina who have passed away, Roseann (Leo) Dole of Hubbardston, and Sharon (William) Gray of Kissimee, Florida. She has three grandchildren: Dawn Slanker of East Lansing, William (Ann) Gray of Ypsilanti, and Shannon Doyle of Lansing, plus two great-grandchildren Paris and Ashley Gray.
     In her younger years, Vera enjoyed playing music with her sisters. She still enjoys getting together with them and her brother to play euchre. Listening to the music of Daniel O’Donnel, she said, “always makes my day.”
   She is a longtime member of the St. Agnes Parish.
   Her advice to others on how to reach 100 years old is “Work hard, stay active, and have some fun!”