A resident at Palos Heights Senior Living, 7100 W. College Drive, Agnes Kellerman proudly celebrated her 100th birthday with those he loves most on September 10.
Agnes Kellerman had quite the birthday celebration on Tuesday afternoon.
A resident at Palos Heights Senior Living, 7100 W. College Drive, Kellerman proudly celebrated her 100th birthday with those she loves the most on Tuesday, September 10.
“The secret to turning 100 is a lot of hard work,” Kellerman said. “It’s really amazing.”
Kellerman grew up on a farm outside of downstate Posen, an unincorporated community in Washington County roughly about 300 miles south of Chicago. Since 1901, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, a member of the Diocese of Belleville has been located there and is where Kellerman attended grade school.
She was the first member of her family to attend high school but her education did not stop there.
During World War II, she became part of the Army Nursing program and eventually entered the Saint Louis Cadet Nursing Program. It was there her long career in nursing began and she became also the first person within her immediate family to leave the farm.
Kellerman’s husband was in the Navy and together they had three children: Pat, Sharon and Mark. However, her husband’s military duties required the family to travel a lot. Kellerman eventually became a registered nurse in three states: Missouri, California and Illinois.
She proudly worked a job she loved for more than 40 years before retiring from Holy Family Hospital in Des Plaines. She now has five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Kellerman previously resided in Mt. Prospect before becoming a resident of Palos Heights Senior Living in February of 2020.
“She (Agnes) is so very sweet polite and friendly,” said Pauline McGrath, Executive Director of Palos Heights Senior Living.
Kellerman’s birthday celebration began with a blessing from Incarnation St. Terrence Catholic Church’s Father Jim Kaczorowski.
“Agnes is a nice and wonderful person and she is as sharp as a tack,” Kaczorowski said. “I wish her health, happiness and the peace of life.”
“My mom inspired a lot of my cousins and me to always reach for the stars,” Kellerman’s son, Mark, of Palos Heights, said. “She has always been a hardworking person and always looking out for other people before herself. When she was growing up, for Christmas, she would receive an orange or a chocolate bar and she would insist on sharing it with everyone else in her family. Her heart is always looking out for others. That’s just the kind of person she is.”
Palos Heights Senior Living offers apartment living in highly with state-of-the-art amenities, top-notch activities and programs, and best-in-class hospitality and is a part of a family of communities operated by Spectrum Retirement Communities, LLC.
Nestled in the trees next to the Calumet-Saganashkee Channel, Palos Heights Senior Living offers the best of both worlds for those, like Quinn, who want to enjoy the great outdoors and have city comforts close to home.
Currently, there are 179 residents at the facility, including Kellerman who resides in the assisted living portion of the community, and all of these residents can walk to and around the Olde Palos Shopping Centre and the nearby Orland Square Shopping Mall or enjoy fresh air when they visit Lake Katherine and Cal-Sag walking trails. The surrounding forest preserve and nearby Botanic Gardens make this a beautiful setting for a senior living lifestyle.
“This was more than a celebration for Agnes,” Mark said. “It’s a celebration for everyone here at Palos Heights Senior Living because they all hold such a special place in her heart.”
A resident at Palos Heights Senior Living, 7100 W. College Drive, Agnes Kellerman proudly celebrated her 100th birthday with those he loves most on September 10.