A Century to Celebrate

Gabe Stark
The Trenton Telegraph

Born in 1925 just south of Princeton, Missouri, Cora ‘Sally’ Collins’ earliest memories were of growing up on a farm in, a time before electricity or running water.

“We went twenty years without electricity,” she said. “I was already married before we ever got it.” Her childhood was filled with farm chores, milking cows, and helping her siblings.

Sally attended a one-room country school most of her childhood, with only 20 other classmates in the whole school. She said that sometimes your grade was taught but sometimes the other grades were.

“If you weren’t being taught in school that day, you just listened to the rest being taught,” Sally said. “But I got a good education.”

She then went to a more modern high school in Mercer, where she graduated in 1943. Next she attended Chillicothe Business College, a daunting step for a shy country girl.

“I was really shy, and I came home every weekend on the bus,” she said. “But I stuck with it.”

It was during a Thanksgiving break at this time that her plans would shift, a local banker, who knew the family, offered her a job at the Mercer bank.

“I thought $80 a month was a fortune, because I’d never had money before,” Sally said.

Banking became her lifelong career, spanning over forty years in Mercer, Davenport, and Lineville. She briefly stepped away to work at a switchboard in an implement factory in Davenport, Iowa, but soon returned to the industry.

“That was the only job I ever had that wasn’t banking,” she said.

Sally retired in 1998 because her husband was retiring from his job at the pipeline. Sally originally wanted to keep working but her family convinced her otherwise.

“My son-in-law said, ‘Sally, you’d better retire with Bill, because you never know how many years you’ll have together.’ And he was right.”

Sally’s husband, Bill Collings, was a World War II veteran who spent time working in General Myers’ office in Japan, seeing General MacArthur daily.

“He was always proud of that,” Sally said.

Together, Sally and Bill shared nearly 71 years of marriage, a union Sally describes as wonderful.

“He told me ‘I love you’ every day,” she said. He was always good to me. We had a wonderful marriage.”

Bill retired at 52 and together they spent the next 18 years going to Texas every winter.

Family has always been at the center of Sally’s life. They raised two daughters and are now the proud grandparents and great-grandparents to a growing clan.

“They don’t visit me as much as I’d like, but my family visits when they can,” she said. “One of my daughters isn’t very well, and my grandchildren are scattered.”

Sally’s life has not been without loss and hardship. She lost her siblings and parents young, survived cancer, and now manages an autoimmune disease. Yet, she remains grateful.

“I said if I could just live to be 100, I’d be satisfied,” she said. “I have fair health, and I’m still aware of everything going on. I’m thankful for that.”

When asked about the biggest changes she’s seen, Sally points to technology.

“Back when I started at the bank, we did all the bookkeeping by hand,” she said. “Now it’s all computers. There’s good and bad…people can get your information so easily now. But I’ve always managed to get by.”

She remembers when automatic washing machines became available:

“My husband was afraid it would use too much water from the well, but when we finally got one, it was wonderful. It saved so much time,” she said.

Despite all the changes, some things remain constant for Sally:

“People are still wonderful,” she said. “I couldn’t complain about the care I’ve received here at Sunnyview. The staff are kind, and I’ve been lucky with my health and mind. All my friends from school are gone, and I’m the last of my class. But I’m grateful for the people here and my family.”

Sally has always been active in her faith, attending the Christian Church and planning to be laid to rest in Lineville, Iowa, beside Bill, with whom she shared a lifetime.

“I was going to have a cremation, but my girls and Bill wanted me to be buried with him. So that’s what I’ll do,” she said.

Her advice for a long and happy life is simple: “Just be patient. Be nice to everybody.”

On November 1st, Sunnyview Nursing Home invites Trenton to join in celebrating Cora “Sally” Collings’ 100th birthday. The event will be an open house in Sunnyviews’ activity room, honoring a life that has spanned a century of resilience, kindness, and wisdom.

As Sunnyview prepares for her 100th birthday, Sally’s children and grandchildren are hosting an open house in her honor on November 1st, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Sunnyview activity room. “It’s just a come-and-go event—everyone is welcome, even if you don’t know me well. It means a lot to see friendly faces,” Sally said

Please join the Sunnyview community in celebrating Sally’s remarkable century. Her story is a testament to the power of resilience, kindness, and quiet strength. For more information, contact Sunnyview Nursing Home. Let’s all wish Sally a very happy 100th birthday and many more moments to cherish.