Gertie Rodig of Arlington Heights turned 103 earlier this month, but don’t tell her that. She’s too busy enjoying life and especially meeting new people.
Her family threw an open house to celebrate her birthday, in the home where Gertie has lived since she and her husband moved in, nearly 75 years ago. That’s right, at 103 Gertie still lives in her own home in the Scarsdale neighborhood of Arlington Heights, where she is known for her friendly charm and positive outlook on life.
Gertie with her longtime friend, former mayor, Arlene Mulder
“She’s just a delight,” says Mary McIlwee of Arlington Heights who often stops by with her husband, Jim.
They and other neighbors stopped by the party, sharing stories, taking photos and leaving gifts. No doubt, they left with more than they brought: inspiration from this Arlington Heights centenarian.
“I’m so grateful for all the people who showed up,” Gertie said of her party. “I even got a special birthday gift, a magnifying glass with a light, which I loved.”
If there is one concession she has made to her age it’s losing her sight. She still can see things close-up, and she regularly writes notes to remind herself of what needs to be done, but she can no longer recognize visitors or get around outside her home.
Still, her mind remains as sharp as ever. When SuburbTalk met up with her this week, Gertie relaxed in her comfortable armchair, surrounded by treasured photos and flowers from her party, and wearing a sweatshirt that read: “100 Years Loved.”
When Gertie describes how she and her husband, Robert, decided to move to Arlington Heights from the North side of Chicago, it sounds like simpler times. Following the lead of Robert’s locker mate, Bob Stauber at Lane Tech High School, they purchased land on what was then the western edge of Arlington Heights. That was in 1950.
Gertie, with her son, Paul, and daughter-in-law, Julie
“Our land was part of a tree farm that had been owned by Klehm’s Nursery,” Gertie says. “The lot was filled with ash trees with lilac trees growing in between.”
They cleared some of the trees and built a small ranch. Pretty quickly, they started filling it with children, as many other post World War II families did during the boom years. Two years after they moved in, Dryden Elementary School was completed and opened in the fall of 1952. The Rodigs’ five children would go there as well as South Junior High and Arlington High School.
Times were tight, she says, and they “lived on a shoestring.” But they were happy times, she adds. Gertie describes gathering up her children to walk into town for groceries at the Jewel on Dunton Avenue, sewing supplies at Hagenbring’s and trips to the bank.
“I’d bring a wagon and the children took turns riding in it,” Gertie says. “The older children would be the crossing guards along the way. It was a long way, but we had only one car which my husband drove to work.”
She remembers the farm behind her, owned by Herr Dietrich and his wife, Frau Dietrich, known as the “raspberry lady of Arlington Heights.” The Dietrichs often leaned on the Rodig boys to bring over their wagon to help move some of their produce to their roadside stand.
Gertie with one of her 17 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren
Their friends, the Staubers, who lived one block south of them, backed up to a farm that had sheep. Neighbors, including the Rodigs, would often hear the baaing of the sheep at all hours during the day and especially in the early morning.
While reminiscing about those early years warmed Rodig as she spoke, she was pragmatic about all the changes she has witnessed in her lifetime.
“Arlington Heights was a really small town when we moved here,” she said, “but it was bound to change.”
As changes occurred so did the growth of human services, which Gertie relies on. She gets regular visits from the Village Nurse of Arlington Heights and Wheeling Township and its Meals on Wheels deliveries provide her with enough food for the week.
“They’re wonderful,” Gertie says of the nurses and delivery volunteers who come regularly.
In between, neighbors come by to visit, like former Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder and her husband, Al, who both attended her birthday party. Families on Gertie’s block are especially attentive, helping with the upkeep of her large yard and with all sorts of odds and ends, like figuring out her TV on occasion.
Consequently, this Thanksgiving Day Gertie expects that she will receive lots of calls and visitors, who never fail to brighten her day. As for what she is thankful for, she doesn’t hesitate: “I’m grateful that I’m still here and that I have so many friends who are so wonderful to me. And I’m still making new ones!”
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