Vital Life Story! Patty Ordean's 104th Birthday!

As printed from the Dayton Daily News by Sandra Baer Patty Ordean is someone who knows a lot about celebrating birthdays, because this March, the St. Leonard resident celebrated her 104th birthday. Ordean was born on a farm in rural Adams County, Ohio, in 1907. "My poor folks had a farm, but we didn't have any modern machinery or equipment back then," said Ordean, who helped on the farm along with her brother, who died at the age of 85. "My father had horse-drawn vehicles to plow the fields, and my mother did laundry on a washboard and baked bread every few days. We never bought bread from the store. My mother would make me a birthday cake on my birthday, but I almost never got gifts." Ordean attended school in nearby Winchester, but remembers the classes being canceled during the flu epidemic of 1918. "I remember our first automobile," said Ordean, whose parent's bought the car during World War I. "It was a Ford Touring Car with a self-starter, but the self- starter didn't work after awhile and we had to crank the car to get it to go." After completing her education at Winchester High School, Ordean, whose maiden name was Patton, moved to Greenfield, Ohio, where she studied in business school before moving to Dayton to apply for a civil service job at Wright Field. "I took the civil service exam and passed it," said Ordean, who worked in an administrative position at the base. "I was tickled to death to get a job. I lived in the YWCA in Dayton." While at the YWCA, Ordean met her husband, Lawson Ordean. The couple wed in 1933, but Ordean continued her career at the base, retiring after 23 years. "My husband was a salesman, but when he retired we bought a farm in Greene County," said Ordean, who lived on a farm in Sugarcreek Twp. "We had an old-fashioned house that we remodeled. It was real nice. My husband raised hogs. It's what he excelled in. He followed them from when they were little until they got big, and then he sold them." The couple also plowed fields of crops, including corn, using modern farm machinery. Ordean canned and froze fresh vegetables and fruits from the garden that she planted every year. The Ordeans were active in the Bellbrook Lions Club, The Bellbrook Grange and were members of the Bellbrook Presbyterian Church. Patty Ordean also was a member of a local Bell-brook garden club. "I enjoyed living on the farm and being with my husband," said Ordean, who was married for more than 30 years before Lawson passed away. "I was never bored and you were your own boss." After her husband passed away, Ordean moved to a house in Bellbrook where she lived until 15 years ago when she moved into an independent apartment at St. Leonard's Senior Living Community in Centerville. "I love living here, because it makes me feel like I'm at home," she said. Ordean moved into an assisted living apartment at St. Leonard five years ago. "My mother taught me to crochet, so I crochet, knit and do cross-stitch. I also play bingo and love the entertainment they have here." Ordean celebrated her 104th birthday with friends and family at a special birthday dinner.