106 and Still Going Strong

Mary Lee Mewis turned 106 years old Saturday, and the woman who is likely Fayette County’s oldest resident is still enjoying an amazing life. What did she want most for her birthday? “For a whole lot of people who were good to me to be together,” Mewis said Friday as she sat in the living room of the house outside La Grange she’s lived in since 1947. And she got her birthday

wish. She had cake Saturday and celebrated with a gathering of family Sunday. When asked what her secret to longevity was, she didn’t pause.

“Work, I worked all the time,” Mewis said. Mewis’ granddaughter-inlaw Stacie Karstedt, who lives next door and helps out “Granny” every day, echoed those thoughts. “I think for sure, staying active has been the key for her,” Karstedt said. Mewis was born in Industry and walked about a mile to school every day. She met her husband, Delmus, in Bellville. After they were married they moved to Texas City where she owned a beauty salon before they moved to La Grange and bought Miladies’ Beauty Shop in 1947. Among the notable clients of the shop were the women from the Chicken Ranch, who would come to Mewis to get their hair fixed. Mewis said she treated them just like any other customers.

Mewis worked at the beauty salon until she was 85, finally closing it in 1995. Then she was a longtime cook at Dig-It Preschool which Stacie Karstedt owns, working there until 2011 when she was 95. Stacie Karstedt said the kids loved “Granny’s” cooking and she still runs into former students that fondly remember the lunches they had at Dig-It, especially the chicken-flavored rice with hamburger meat. Theresia Karstedt, another granddaughter-in-law, said Granny’s lunches were loved by more than just students. “She would always do Sunday lunches for the family, and you didn’t miss that,” Theresia said. “She was hosting those even after she turned 100.” But now at 106, Mewis is slowing down some. “I feel good, but I get dizzy,” Mewis said. But living at home still suits her. Her husband died in 1985 and she’s lived alone in their house ever since. She has one kid, four grandkids, six greatgrandkids and three great-great grandkids, many of which live close enough to help Mewis stay busy and well-cared for. “She lives for the newspaper – the Austin paper and The Fayette County Record,” Stacie said. And she reads without glasses.

Mewis is also a big fan of Danielle Steel novels. Someone from the library calls Stacie whenever they get a new Steel novel in, so she can bring it to Mewis. Mewis also enjoys television. She watches The Price in Right, Wheel of Fortune, news and Houston Astros games.

Her favorite Astro? “Altuve,” she smiles. To Stacie Karstedt, Mewis is an inspiration. “She’s lived through five wars, The Great Depression, four pandemics,” Stacie said. “The things she’s lived through and seen – it’s just amazing.”

And with the loving care of family, Fayette County’s oldest resident still has more life to live.