Man of a century Washington resident remains independent at 100 years old
Woodrow Wilson Sowers of Washington speaks about his many life experiences while sitting in the sunroom of his Washington home.
Woodrow Wilson Sowers of Washington sits on his lawn tractor outside his home.
Woodrow Wilson Sowers of Washington still mows his own lawn, which is rather impressive considering he turned 100 years old last Thursday.
Sowers said he enjoys the light yard work because it keeps him busy throughout the day.
“I did have it hired for a couple years, but I didn’t like the way he was doing it,” Sowers said. “So I went back to doing it myself.”
Now, it takes him from 2 1/2 to 4 hours to cut the grass on his tractor. Sowers said he also pulls weeds and does other minor landscaping.
His independence, however, is not restricted to the yard. Sowers cooks his meals and washes his own clothes. The only assistance he receives is from a neighbor and niece who lives nearby. They pick up his medications and purchase his groceries.
Sowers was born July 20, 1917, the youngest of Ida and Tilden Sowers’ five children, and was named after President Woodrow Wilson. Sowers has spent his whole life in Washington County, and he has seen generations worth of change to both it and the nation during his century of life.
Sowers grew up during the Great Depression on his family’s 215-acre farm in North Bethlehem Township. He recalled picking raspberries and canning vegetables to make the food last longer.
“It was very rough. We didn’t have much money,” Sowers said. He recalled using pitchforks and horses, and how they have now been replaced by tractors, bailers and other machinery – which is just a small glimpse of the technological changes he has seen.
He remembers the farmland where Walmart, Target, car dealerships and other businesses now stand along Route 19. It was President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Sowers recalled, who was responsible for the development of Interstates 70 and 79 – and all the traffic that came with it.
“Didn’t have near the traffic you do now,” he said with a laugh.
At the age of 20, Sowers began working in the coal mines. He said his paychecks would be around $80 after working 80 hours in the mines.
“It was pretty good pay at the time,” he said before mentioning that a pound of bananas cost a few cents back then.
Sowers worked in the coal mines for six years before switching professions and going to work in the steel mills, retiring after 36 years of service.
He attributed his longevity to a life of no smoking or drinking, except for the daily glass of milk or two. The only television he watches is the 6 p.m. news. He has never used a computer or been online. Rarely does he even use the phone.
“If my son didn’t call me, I’d never talk on the phone,” he said.
His hobbies include hunting deer and playing baseball. He has been all over the country, but his favorite place remains what he has always known: his home in Washington.
“I never lived a high life or anything, mostly worked,” Sowers said.
But last week he took some time off from his chores to visit with his son, Roy, and his daughter-in-law, Bonnie, of Ramona, Calif., who were in town to help Sowers celebrate his 100th birthday.