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Where were you one hundred years ago? Most of us would probably have to say that we had not been born yet!

Wellsboro has seen a lot of change over the past 100 years. Many of these changes have affected the places we visit everyday, such as The County Jail (now the Chamber of Commerce), The Penn Wells Dining Room, Dunhams, and The West End Market to name a few. It is always good to look back to see just how far we’ve grown. Tioga County is a beautiful area that draws many visitors to see our gas lamps, great shops and the PA Grand Canyon. But it is also a community that cares about the needs of others.

Yesterday, Home Page met Orpha Lundgren, a Wellsboro resident celebrating her 100th birthday. She has always served and cared for those who have surrounded her. She was born on October 1, 1914 in Welch Settlement. Orpha later married her high school sweet heart, John Lundgren. She went on to have three sons, grandchildren, great grandchildren and now a great great grandchild. She also received her nursing degree and worked at the Soldiers and Sailors Hospital here in Wellsboro from 1939 until 1977. After she retired from nursing she continued helping with hospital volunteer work and was also a host at the Antlers Inn. (Janie Hilfiger, President/CEO of Soldiers & Sailors Hospital and Jacquelyn Gundedersen, Executive Assistant of Susquehanna Health came and provided her birthday cake and gave her a letter of recognition in honor of her services at the hospital.)

When asked if she had any advice from her 100 years of life experience, Orpha encouraged us to spend more time with our families. “The most important thing in my life was my family,” she said. “Children need that.” Orpha was accompanied by her family, including daughter-in-law Sandy Lundgren, sons & their wives Terry & Cheryl Lundgren and Mike & Jean Lundgren, and her pastor Keith Williams.

If you’d like to send a birthday greeting to Orpha Lundgren, her mailing address is:
The Shared Home
27 Bacon Street
Wellsboro, PA 16901

* The pictures in today’s feature were taken from Life in Wellsboro: 1880-1920 by Gale Largey.