June 21 brought a milestone in Maple Crest, Bluffton, history and in the life of  Maple Crest resident Helen Hilty. 

Helen is only the second resident to celebrate her 100th birthday while living at Maple Crest. Kathryn Van Dyke was the very first, on Feb. 3, 2013. 

In anticipation of her 100th birthday, Helen was asked about the secret to her long and fruitful life. Her immediate response was: “I just enjoyed life, with every day that came!” She added that every day is important and happy because every day she does something that she wants to do, choosing to make each day special. 
 
Helen was the sixth of nine children in her family.  She is the last one living, although most of her siblings lived into their 90s. Helen lived her childhood on a farm in the country, with lots of time spent outdoors. That beginning, along with her Scottish ancestry, instilled in Helen a strong work ethic, determination, a joy in gardening and making good home-cooked meals, and an appreciation for nature and beauty.
 
Helen’s three daughters, Sue Wilson, Ann Hilty and Nancy Wilson, add that their mother likes people. She has always been interested in seeing others succeed, and has done her part to help through volunteering and through participating fully in the lives of those around her, particularly with her children and her church family.

Committed involvement in the Presbyterian Church, as a Sunday School teacher and an elder, has been a formative aspect of Helen’s life, resulting in her deep Christian faith.
 
Helen has also fostered a love for learning in her own life and for the wider community.  She was instrumental in developing a “Friends of the Library” organization in Columbus Grove and the surrounding area, and served as president of that group, as well as being on the Library Board for Putnam County. 
 
Her daughter, Ann, summed up her mother with this statement: “Mom loves life!  She’s always been a strong person – physically, emotionally, and spiritually.” 

In photo with daughters, from left: Sue Wilson, Ann Hilty and Nancy Wilson.