Ninety-seven years strong

Hidden within a life story 97 years long are lessons for living a fulfilling meaningful life. Fillmore resident (the village, not the county) Myrtle Winslow Schwartz graciously shared her story that is filled with many practical lessons, and lots of laughs.

Ninety-seven-year-old Schwartz was born in Fillmore on November 25. She was one month and one day old when her parents left Fillmore and moved to a farm between Chatfield and Fillmore, called the Carsen farm. She lived on the Carsen farm until she married Russell Schwartz, a heavy equipment mechanic, in 1943. The couple first resided in Chatfield and then moved out into the county for a few years before moving to Fillmore. With a smile, Schwartz said that her husband was a city kid who grew up in Chatfield. They lived together in Fillmore for 42 years until her husband’s death in 1993. Schwartz has lived alone in Fillmore for 29 years.

The couple had five children: Dale, Gary, Neal, and daughters Gail Ann and Sue. The family grew to include 11 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, and 10 great-great-grandchildren, with two more on the way. 

Wondering about her secret to living a long healthy and active life, Schwartz immediately stated, “Thank the good Lord I’m healthy and can get around.” She begins every day with devotions.

Her son runs cattle on the 60 acres she owns adjacent to her home. Her home is surrounded by flowers. A vegetable garden fills the low area in front of her home. When asked about her weed-free garden, she confirmed that she herself pulls the weeds. “I think I am healthy because I plant a garden. I live off my garden. I don’t buy canned vegetables. I freeze my vegetables or can them,” shared Schwartz. 

Earlier this summer, Schwartz and about 10 members of her family took a trip to Georgia for a great-great-grandson’s birthday.

They stopped in Tennessee at Rock City. Her great-granddaughter, Taylor Smith, shared, “The workers were in awe of her ability to keep up with the rest of the family.” With a laugh, Schwartz stated that she hears that a lot.

“I like to travel,” shared Schwartz. She stated that she has not even had time to think about where she wants to go next. She mentioned, “I have not been to California. I have not been to Louisiana nor Delaware or Connecticut.” She had not been to Florida either until the trip to Hinesville, Ga. The family spent one day in Cocoa Beach, so now Florida has been checked off her bucket list.

In addition to living alone, Schwartz still drives. She brought herself a new car three years ago. It was a Ford. Laughing, she shared that her husband would turn over in his grave if she got anything but a Ford.

Schwartz and her girlfriends enjoy driving down to Little Miami, a restaurant in Freeburg, Minn., for dinner, just over an hour away.

On December 13, 2021, Schwartz was taking her trash out to the end of her driveway, when she fell on the ice and broke her ankle. She declared, “I got my garbage out to the road.” It is not a short driveway like you might not see in town. She said the most challenging part was getting back to the house because she did not have the trash bin to lean on. She tried to take care of herself but nine days later she knew that she could not take care of herself any longer, so she called the ambulance. At the ER she found out that she also had pneumonia. She had stayed at the care center in Rochester for five weeks when she knew she was ready to come home, and home she came.

Laughing, Schwartz shared that she is the best advertiser for her chiropractor. Since she was in her 30s, she has been frequenting the chiropractor.

Schwartz retired from cleaning houses in Rochester at age 89. One family gifted her with a vacation overseas when she retired but when she returned, they did not want her to retire, so she continued working for them until she was 89. She confirmed that she likes to clean houses.

Schwartz also keeps busy doing crafts. She likes to needlepoint and do counted cross stitch. She also does Norwegian Hardanger embroidery, which she explained takes a lot of time to complete a project as compared to needlepoint and counted cross stitch.

Schwartz was honored in Stewartville’s Fourth of July parade by her Red Hat friend, Margaret Lex. Lex drove her convertible and put a red blanket over the back seat for Schwartz to sit on and gave her a bouquet of red roses to carry. Schwartz mentioned that it was a bit overwhelming. Lex proudly said, “Myrtle is young at heart. She is thoughtful and always writes thank you notes. She is a classy lady.”

Laughing, Schwartz shared another story stating that her kids are to include it in her obituary. “I am supposed to be famous for my homemade buns. You mix them up and knead them down every hour for five hours. Then, you make them up into the buns the night before and get up in the morning and bake them… I will have to say they are out of this world.”