Some birthdays are so big that it takes more than just one party to celebrate them. For Mary Shotwell, her 100th birthday was marked with two surprise gatherings and her designation by the Warren County Board of Chosen Freeholders as the county’s “most senior volunteer.”

Shotwell was a long-time volunteer at the county’s Senior Nutrition Meal Site in Blairstown and still volunteers weekly at the Catherine Dickson Hofman Branch of the Warren County Library system. Both locations held celebrations for her birthday – one a few days early, the other the day after she turned 100 – with large cakes and scores of well-wishers, although she had said she didn’t want a big fuss made over her centennial.

“I kept my promise, I didn’t throw a big party for you,” her son, Lester, told her with a sly grin at the second of the two events, not mentioning that he knew what the County Library and the county Division of Aging and Disability Services had planned for her.

Shotwell was born Mary Snover on Feb. 2, 1909, the third of four daughters, and grew up on a farm on Cobblewood Road, Blairstown. A lifelong area resident, she now lives with her son and daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, in Knowlton.

The secret to her longevity? “Hard work, I guess,” Shotwell said, explaining that growing up on the farm with no brothers, “We had to do boys’ work. We all had to learn to milk cows, harness horses and all that.”

She’s seen many changes over her 10 decades, not the least of which was farming in the pre-tractor era. Although both automobiles and airplanes had been invented by the time she arrived, neither was prevalent. “You’d hear an airplane go over and run out to see it,” said Shotwell, who also remembers her first ride in a car, which she thinks was a Ford Model T.

Shotwell started her education in a one-room schoolhouse, and “when I went to high school, we only had three teachers.” She graduated at the head of her class in 1926, and shortly thereafter went to work in a local bank as a bookkeeper.

Warren County Division of Aging and Disability Services Director Susan Lennon presents Mary Shotwell with a flower during her birthday party at the Blairstown Senior Nutrition Center, where Shotwell was a long-time volunteer.

Married at age 20 to Lester T. Shotwell, she began volunteering with the Catherine Dickson Hofman Library more than 35 years ago as treasurer of the library’s Board of Trustees. An independent library at the time, in 1995 it became a branch of the Warren County Library system. About 29 years ago, she started as a volunteer in the library and continues to contribute an average of five hours a week at the Circulation Desk.

 “I sign out books,” Shotwell explained, noting, “I like it. The people are nice to me, and I get to see a lot of people. It keeps me busy.”

And it keeps her young. “Once I quit, I’m through,” she laughed.

Freeholder Director Richard D. Gardner made reference to how much things have changed during Shotwell’s life, noting as he read a proclamation from the freeholder board that she was born when President Theodore Roosevelt was in the White House, a loaf of bread cost a nickel, a gallon of milk sold for 33 cents, the average car price was $500 and the average home sold for $4,500.

“Mary, you look absolutely fantastic,” Gardner told her as he praised her efforts volunteering with the library and the Blairstown Nutrition Site.

WHEREAS, Mary Shotwell was born Mary Snover on February 2, 1909, at a time when President Theodore Roosevelt was in the White House, a loaf of bread cost a nickel and a gallon of milk sold for 33 cents. The average car price was $500 and the average home sold for $4,500. The year also saw the births of musicians Benny Goodman and Victor Borge, actors Errol Flynn and Jessica Tandy, cartoonist Al Capp, inventor Edwin Land, and statesman Barry Goldwater, and the minting of the first Lincoln penny; and

WHEREAS, Mary, who was one of four girls, two older and one younger, grew up on a farm in the Blairstown area, where her daily chores included milking cows and taking care of the horses; her earliest and fondest memory was of being spoiled by her grandparents, who lived with her family; and she also remembers her first ride in an automobile, which she believes was a Ford Model T; and

WHEREAS, Mary married at age 20 to Lester T. Shotwell, raised a son, and worked as a bookkeeper for First National Bank of Blairstown; and

WHEREAS, Mary has lived a life of service to others, and began volunteering with the Catherine Dickson Hofman Library more than 35 years ago as treasurer of the library’s Board of Trustees, becoming an active volunteer in the library more than 29 years ago; she continued her service after the independent community library became the Catherine Dickson Hofman Branch of the Warren County Library in 1995, and continues to contribute an average of five hours a week at the Circulation Desk, checking out material for library patrons; and

WHEREAS, Mary Shotwell also has been a long-time volunteer at the Senior Nutrition Site in Blairstown, where she remains a daily attendee as well as a cheerful and helpful presence;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Warren County Board of Chosen Freeholders honors Mary Shotwell on the occasion of her 100th birthday and recognizes her as Warren County’s most senior volunteer. As someone who has demonstrated that helping others is important to living a long and full life, Mary Shotwell stands as an inspiration to all, and the Board of Chosen Freeholders congratulates her, expresses its appreciation to her for all of her efforts, and wishes her all the best for her birthday.