100 years of life: Durango celebrates centenarians

In 1916 Durango, Coca-Cola cost a nickel and a haircut and shave was 25 cents.

It was a good year for Democrats, as presidential candidate Woodrow Wilson beat Republican Evan Hughes.

And because Prohibition was the law of the land, Durango drinkers looked to Silverton’s bootleggers.

Local historian Duane Smith said of 1916: “There were no paved roads, and you got used to stopping often and changing your tire. Just coming here was an adventure.”

On Friday, Durango honored 10 local centenarians – people who are 100 years old or older – born in or before 1916.

“They’ve reached this remarkable milestone,” said Senior Services Director Sheila Casey. “I think it’s a testimony to what it’s like living in Durango.”

“We’re trying to show that these people are still valuable members of society,” said Tara Franck, office manager for aging and adult services at the Colorado Commission on Aging.

The state commission’s annual centenarian celebration was hosted in Durango, at the Durango/La Plata County Senior Center, for the first time since 2004.

Gov. John Hickenlooper declared May 20 Colorado Centenarian Day, and Franck estimated the state is home to at least 45 centenarians.

That includes Ruby Lee Grannis, who said her namesake is Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Grannis is approaching her 100th birthday July 26.

“I thought old age was going to be nothing but roses,” Grannis said. “The hardest part (of living to 100) is I had a nice husband and two boys – they all died.”

She moved from Oklahoma to Rio Grande County in Colorado as a child, eventually landing in Durango 45 years ago where she’s lived ever since. When she was a girl, Grannis recalled her family relied on two coal oil lamps – one in the kitchen, one in the living room – as the only source of light in their home.

Electricity isn’t the only thing that’s changed.

“You think you want something new, but it gets tiresome when things change all the time,” she said.

Harry Jarrell, who celebrated his 100th birthday in November, said that for him, an active life has led to a long one. Twenty years ago, Jarrell was the oldest member of the Mounted Rangers, Colorado’s oldest law enforcement agency. He was in the Civilian Conservation Corps – a public relief program launched under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal – and once rode in Durango’s Fiesta Days parade as the grand marshal.

“Durango’s been good to me,” Jarrell said. “I hope I’ve been good to it.”

The best part of his age, he said, is to still be living.

The Ballet Folklorico performed at Friday’s celebration, and Sam Maynes, who provides legal counsel for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, performed a traditional song honoring the elderly.

“I want to express a personal gratitude for our grandfathers and grandmothers for their endurance and patience. There is no such thing as an ‘old fool,’” Maynes said. “The only way you can achieve that age is through many wise choices throughout your life.”

jpace@durangoherald.com