GOOD NEWS!: Ravena resident Mabel Klenk marks a century

0
Share

By Marlene McTigue

For Capital Region Independent Media

Ravena resident Mabel Klenk at her home of seven decades on McCulloch Avenue. Contributed photo

RAVENA — At her spacious home on Pulver Avenue in Ravena, 100-year-old Mabel Klenk accepts visitors. Her hair is white now and she breathes with the assistance of oxygen delivered by cannula, but it doesn’t take long to draw out the funny and, frankly, quite entertaining life-long resident who has lived and played in these streets for an entire century. 

Born at home on McCulloch Avenue on March 3, 1924, and delivered by her father, “because Dr. Sabe was running late,” Klenk said. 

“I went to all 12 grades over at Ravena School,” recalls Klenk, remembering her school days where the Village Offices are now housed on Mountain Avenue. 

“I met my husband, Kenneth, in 5th grade there,” remembers the centenarian. “He was Irish but was born in west New  York, and then he and his mother moved here. We got married at my mother’s house on Van Buren and Alice Christian played the piano at my wedding.”

After graduating from Ravena School, Klenk went to college for a year at Syracuse University. 

“When I came back, I started in Albany Business College and I went for two weeks and one day and then I got a job over in Rensselaer. It was a German company, Bayer Aspirin. I  worked there for about 10 years until my daughter was born,” Klenk said.

Mabel Klenk’s employee badge from her years working at Bayer Aspirin. Contributed photo

The couple raised three daughters here in the community — Susan, Kathy and Elizabeth Ann, known as Beth. 

“We moved into my aunt’s house here on Pulver in 1946. Mabel Elizabeth Miller Johnson was my aunt’s name,” Klenk said. “We took over the house and took care of my aunt Mabel.”

 And there she has lived ever since, for the last 78 years. 

Mabel has fond memories of working at the sand bottom pool at Mosher Park. She said she served there not only as the first female lifeguard at the local pool, but also the first lifeguard who ever had their life-saving certification, which she received when she was at school in Syracuse. 

“I wasn’t the boss, Bill Gallagher was the boss, and he knew nothing about lifesaving,” jokes Klenk with a laugh. “We worked seven days a week from noon to 5 and made $12.50 per week.” 

Klenk recalled the days when Main Street was bustling with both enterprise and residents. 

“Ravena has changed a lot. Main Street used to be very, very busy. We had six grocery stores, two meat markets, we had six doctors who practiced here in town,” she remembered. 

Four generations of women and girls in Mabel Klenk’s family. Contributed photo

At her 100th birthday party last month, Klenk was surrounded by loved ones, including five generations of female descendants. 

When asked to share the secret to her longevity, Klenk responded with a laugh, “vodka and potato chips.”

Related Posts