Elizabeth Dorothea Krattli Rohlfing, was born September 16, 1879 in Stoney Hill, Gasconade County, Missouri. She was the daughter of Maria Ursala Stocklin Krattli and John Krattli. The year 1879 was also the birth year of Trotsky, Stalin, Einstein, W.C. Fields, Lady Astor and Ethel Barrymore.
"Things are altogether different today," Mrs. Rohlfing said, when reminiscing about her life. "Our family traveled by horseback or went in the farm wagon; we didn't even have a spring wagon.
"I went 6 miles every Saturday to bible study and either walked or rode horseback, side saddle," she said. Her family belonged to the German Methodist Church, as did her husband's family. As babies, she and her future husband were both confirmed at the same time.
In about 1903, young Elizabeth Krattli graduated as a nurse from Bethesda German Methodist Hospital a charitable hospital in Cincinnati, OH.
"I became a deaconess in the church and dedicated my life to the lord," Mrs. Rohlfing said, "and through that, I was trained as a nurse. During our training we went to chapel morning and evening and to bible reading. Six of us graduated," she added.
Elizabeth was paid $9 a month plus board and room, but had to pay for the laundering of her own nurses' cap and gown. There were no elevators other than the freight elevator in the hospital, nurses walked up and down stairs between floors and many times they worked through the night and all day.
Elizabeth was sent to nurse a family who had diphtheria and later another family who had typhoid fever, after which she was sent to Kansas City as a nurse for the baby son of attorney M. K. Brown in about 1909. She remained at this job until 1911, when she left to get married. Eight to ten years was a long time to be a nurse in those days and when Oscar Rohlfing, who she had been confirmed with and gone to the same church in her home town, came to Kansas City, they decided to get married. They were married in their home church in 1911 and lived with Mr. Rohlfing's mother. Elizabeth was 33 and Oscar was 30.
Oscar and Elizabeth had two daughters, Juanita born July 22, 1913 and Flora born August 10, 1918. The Rohlfing family moved to Arkansas in 1935, where Mr. Rohlfing engaged in farming. In 1944 Juanita and Flora moved to Kansas City to work, a year later they were followed by their parents Oscar and Elizabeth. Oscar died in 1957 and in 1960, Elizabeth and her daughters moved to Raytown, MO where they would spend the remainder of their lives.
Elizabeth Rohlfing does not attribute her longevity to heredity. Her parents who were Swiss died in their sixties and her husband's family who were German did not live to a great old age. She does remember her grandmother saying, "You'll live to be an old lady." At ten months of age Elizabeth had whooping cough and her grandmother laid her down for dead, she recovered soon after and it was then that her grandmother made her pronouncement of long life.
"I have lived a Christian life," Elizabeth Rohlfing added, "and I believe our life is in God's hands, whatever he wills for us to live shall come to pass.
Elizabeth died on December 2, 1980 at age 101. Her long and eventful life, touched many and she will be remembered with love.
(This memorial bio has excerpts from the 1979 article written by Mary Marz Minor on the occasion of Elizabeth Rohlfing's 100th birthday.)
"Things are altogether different today," Mrs. Rohlfing said, when reminiscing about her life. "Our family traveled by horseback or went in the farm wagon; we didn't even have a spring wagon.
"I went 6 miles every Saturday to bible study and either walked or rode horseback, side saddle," she said. Her family belonged to the German Methodist Church, as did her husband's family. As babies, she and her future husband were both confirmed at the same time.
In about 1903, young Elizabeth Krattli graduated as a nurse from Bethesda German Methodist Hospital a charitable hospital in Cincinnati, OH.
"I became a deaconess in the church and dedicated my life to the lord," Mrs. Rohlfing said, "and through that, I was trained as a nurse. During our training we went to chapel morning and evening and to bible reading. Six of us graduated," she added.
Elizabeth was paid $9 a month plus board and room, but had to pay for the laundering of her own nurses' cap and gown. There were no elevators other than the freight elevator in the hospital, nurses walked up and down stairs between floors and many times they worked through the night and all day.
Elizabeth was sent to nurse a family who had diphtheria and later another family who had typhoid fever, after which she was sent to Kansas City as a nurse for the baby son of attorney M. K. Brown in about 1909. She remained at this job until 1911, when she left to get married. Eight to ten years was a long time to be a nurse in those days and when Oscar Rohlfing, who she had been confirmed with and gone to the same church in her home town, came to Kansas City, they decided to get married. They were married in their home church in 1911 and lived with Mr. Rohlfing's mother. Elizabeth was 33 and Oscar was 30.
Oscar and Elizabeth had two daughters, Juanita born July 22, 1913 and Flora born August 10, 1918. The Rohlfing family moved to Arkansas in 1935, where Mr. Rohlfing engaged in farming. In 1944 Juanita and Flora moved to Kansas City to work, a year later they were followed by their parents Oscar and Elizabeth. Oscar died in 1957 and in 1960, Elizabeth and her daughters moved to Raytown, MO where they would spend the remainder of their lives.
Elizabeth Rohlfing does not attribute her longevity to heredity. Her parents who were Swiss died in their sixties and her husband's family who were German did not live to a great old age. She does remember her grandmother saying, "You'll live to be an old lady." At ten months of age Elizabeth had whooping cough and her grandmother laid her down for dead, she recovered soon after and it was then that her grandmother made her pronouncement of long life.
"I have lived a Christian life," Elizabeth Rohlfing added, "and I believe our life is in God's hands, whatever he wills for us to live shall come to pass.
Elizabeth died on December 2, 1980 at age 101. Her long and eventful life, touched many and she will be remembered with love.
(This memorial bio has excerpts from the 1979 article written by Mary Marz Minor on the occasion of Elizabeth Rohlfing's 100th birthday.)
Elizabeth Dorothea Krattli Rohlfing, was born September 16, 1879 in Stoney Hill, Gasconade County, Missouri. She was the daughter of Maria Ursala Stocklin Krattli and John Krattli. The year 1879 was also the birth year of Trotsky, Stalin, Einstein, W.C. Fields, Lady Astor and Ethel Barrymore.
"Things are altogether different today," Mrs. Rohlfing said, when reminiscing about her life. "Our family traveled by horseback or went in the farm wagon; we didn't even have a spring wagon.
"I went 6 miles every Saturday to bible study and either walked or rode horseback, side saddle," she said. Her family belonged to the German Methodist Church, as did her husband's family. As babies, she and her future husband were both confirmed at the same time.
In about 1903, young Elizabeth Krattli graduated as a nurse from Bethesda German Methodist Hospital a charitable hospital in Cincinnati, OH.
"I became a deaconess in the church and dedicated my life to the lord," Mrs. Rohlfing said, "and through that, I was trained as a nurse. During our training we went to chapel morning and evening and to bible reading. Six of us graduated," she added.
Elizabeth was paid $9 a month plus board and room, but had to pay for the laundering of her own nurses' cap and gown. There were no elevators other than the freight elevator in the hospital, nurses walked up and down stairs between floors and many times they worked through the night and all day.
Elizabeth was sent to nurse a family who had diphtheria and later another family who had typhoid fever, after which she was sent to Kansas City as a nurse for the baby son of attorney M. K. Brown in about 1909. She remained at this job until 1911, when she left to get married. Eight to ten years was a long time to be a nurse in those days and when Oscar Rohlfing, who she had been confirmed with and gone to the same church in her home town, came to Kansas City, they decided to get married. They were married in their home church in 1911 and lived with Mr. Rohlfing's mother. Elizabeth was 33 and Oscar was 30.
Oscar and Elizabeth had two daughters, Juanita born July 22, 1913 and Flora born August 10, 1918. The Rohlfing family moved to Arkansas in 1935, where Mr. Rohlfing engaged in farming. In 1944 Juanita and Flora moved to Kansas City to work, a year later they were followed by their parents Oscar and Elizabeth. Oscar died in 1957 and in 1960, Elizabeth and her daughters moved to Raytown, MO where they would spend the remainder of their lives.
Elizabeth Rohlfing does not attribute her longevity to heredity. Her parents who were Swiss died in their sixties and her husband's family who were German did not live to a great old age. She does remember her grandmother saying, "You'll live to be an old lady." At ten months of age Elizabeth had whooping cough and her grandmother laid her down for dead, she recovered soon after and it was then that her grandmother made her pronouncement of long life.
"I have lived a Christian life," Elizabeth Rohlfing added, "and I believe our life is in God's hands, whatever he wills for us to live shall come to pass.
Elizabeth died on December 2, 1980 at age 101. Her long and eventful life, touched many and she will be remembered with love.
(This memorial bio has excerpts from the 1979 article written by Mary Marz Minor on the occasion of Elizabeth Rohlfing's 100th birthday.)
"Things are altogether different today," Mrs. Rohlfing said, when reminiscing about her life. "Our family traveled by horseback or went in the farm wagon; we didn't even have a spring wagon.
"I went 6 miles every Saturday to bible study and either walked or rode horseback, side saddle," she said. Her family belonged to the German Methodist Church, as did her husband's family. As babies, she and her future husband were both confirmed at the same time.
In about 1903, young Elizabeth Krattli graduated as a nurse from Bethesda German Methodist Hospital a charitable hospital in Cincinnati, OH.
"I became a deaconess in the church and dedicated my life to the lord," Mrs. Rohlfing said, "and through that, I was trained as a nurse. During our training we went to chapel morning and evening and to bible reading. Six of us graduated," she added.
Elizabeth was paid $9 a month plus board and room, but had to pay for the laundering of her own nurses' cap and gown. There were no elevators other than the freight elevator in the hospital, nurses walked up and down stairs between floors and many times they worked through the night and all day.
Elizabeth was sent to nurse a family who had diphtheria and later another family who had typhoid fever, after which she was sent to Kansas City as a nurse for the baby son of attorney M. K. Brown in about 1909. She remained at this job until 1911, when she left to get married. Eight to ten years was a long time to be a nurse in those days and when Oscar Rohlfing, who she had been confirmed with and gone to the same church in her home town, came to Kansas City, they decided to get married. They were married in their home church in 1911 and lived with Mr. Rohlfing's mother. Elizabeth was 33 and Oscar was 30.
Oscar and Elizabeth had two daughters, Juanita born July 22, 1913 and Flora born August 10, 1918. The Rohlfing family moved to Arkansas in 1935, where Mr. Rohlfing engaged in farming. In 1944 Juanita and Flora moved to Kansas City to work, a year later they were followed by their parents Oscar and Elizabeth. Oscar died in 1957 and in 1960, Elizabeth and her daughters moved to Raytown, MO where they would spend the remainder of their lives.
Elizabeth Rohlfing does not attribute her longevity to heredity. Her parents who were Swiss died in their sixties and her husband's family who were German did not live to a great old age. She does remember her grandmother saying, "You'll live to be an old lady." At ten months of age Elizabeth had whooping cough and her grandmother laid her down for dead, she recovered soon after and it was then that her grandmother made her pronouncement of long life.
"I have lived a Christian life," Elizabeth Rohlfing added, "and I believe our life is in God's hands, whatever he wills for us to live shall come to pass.
Elizabeth died on December 2, 1980 at age 101. Her long and eventful life, touched many and she will be remembered with love.
(This memorial bio has excerpts from the 1979 article written by Mary Marz Minor on the occasion of Elizabeth Rohlfing's 100th birthday.)
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