Delma Minton (nee Nottmeier) was born in Monroe County and recently celebrated a milestone birthday here: She turned 100 on July 30 and partied alongside other Waterloo Garden Place residents. 

Minton sat at the front of the commons area with Paul, her son, and daughter-in-law Teresa on either side of her. 

Shortly into the party, Delma was presented with a large sheet cake that was decorated to pay homage to one of her favorite things: quilting. 

The lights were dimmed as Minton blew out the candles, just after the whole room sang “Happy Birthday.” 

“It’s nice,” Minton said of the party. “I didn’t know what to expect (and) what they would have. I was hoping they would have some kind of music.” 

And Garden Place delivered, as Terry Roberson filled the room with classic hits. Minton described the musician as a favorite of many residents. 

She also celebrated with her family on Saturday, not letting the rain put a damper on her second party. 

Minton was born in Monroe County and grew up an active member of Zion Evangelical Church in New Design. She spent many milestone moments at the church – including her christening, confirmation and even wedding. 

She grew up on a farm in Boxtown, also known as Kidd, with her three younger siblings. 

After reaching adulthood, Minton lived and worked in St. Louis for about 20 years. While in the city, she worked various jobs spanning from a housekeeper/nanny of sorts to helping assemble appliances. 

She still made time for fun, though. When asked about her favorite memories, she quickly recounted dancing at The Casa Loma Ballroom in St. Louis. In fact, this is where she met William Ralph Minton, her late husband. 

“On Sundays they had dance classes and they … had a table. The men came by on one side, and the women on the other, and then when you got to the end of the long table, (you would meet) your dance partner,” Minton explained. “So, that’s how I met my husband. It was right before intermission and he said, ‘Let’s get a sandwich.’ That’s the way we started talking and got acquainted.” 

The Mintons were married for 56 years and had one son, who eventually gave them two grandchildren and six grandchildren. Minton attributes her long, successful marriage to being honest. 

“I guess you always have to be truthful with each other,” Minton said. 

Five years into their marriage, Minton was given an opportunity to return to her rural roots. In 1958, the couple moved to a 120-acre farm close to her parents. 

“My husband did construction work and it wasn’t very good right at the time, and we had a chance to rent a farm,” Minton said. “So, we decided we would go back down (to Monroe County) and try our luck at farming. I grew up on a farm, but he was from the town, so I did a lot of the work. While he did construction work, I ran the tractor and did the plowing … and whatever needed to be done.” 

While Delma showed William many of the ropes of farming, she quickly realized a lot had changed since she was a young girl doing field work on her parents’ farm. 

“It was quite different from when I was growing up, because I grew up in horse and buggy days. We had a team of mules for plowing and all that, and later on we had the tractor,” Minton said. 

While raising her family on the farm, Minton stunned guests with her cooking skills. She prepared large “Threshing Meals,” which the family says were dinners prepared for 20 or so men working in the fields during wheat harvesting season.

Her homemade pies were always a favorite; she made everything from pumpkin to rhubarb. 

Throughout her time in Monroe County, she had seen the community grow and change in many ways. She witnessed two large floods: one in 1943 and another in 1993. The latter led Delma and William to relocate to Waterloo. 

The biggest change she has seen, Minton said, was the coming and going of county residents. 

“It’s changed quite a bit because there’s different people. So many that were living when I was living down there are not alive anymore. I outlived all of them,” Minton said with a laugh. 

Minton said she never expected to live such a long life, as she was often sick as a child, but her health improved as she grew up. 

She attributes her longevity to one thing: pure luck. 

“I don’t really have a secret,” Minton said. “I guess I was just lucky that I lived a long time.”