Kansas woman celebrates 100th birthday to join 2 older sisters in century club

ATWOOD, Kan. — Longevity runs in the family for a trio of Kansas sisters.

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When Frances Kompus, of Atwood, celebrated her 100th birthday on Nov. 11, she joined her two older sisters as family members who have topped the century mark.

“We are getting up there,” Kompus told KSNW.

Kompus, the baby of the family, joins older siblings Julia Kopriva, who is 104; and Lucy Pochop, 102, the television station reported.

“I have been around a while,” Pochop told KSNW.

“I am thankful for us girls being together all the time, my parents and my faith,” Kopriva told the television station.

The three women, the daughters of Florian William Holub and Frances Rose Chleborad Holub, grew up on a farm in Kansas, according to online census records.

Kopriva was born Nov. 5, 1917, while Pochop was born June 11, 1919, KSNW reported.

Their father lived a long time, too, although he did not reach 100. Florian Holub died in February 1988 at the age of 98, according to the archives of The Salina Journal.

The three women, now mothers and grandmothers, grew up on a farm in Beardsley.

“I just remember how we used to walk to school,” Pochop told KSNW. “It was about a mile and three-quarters. It was a long walk.”

The sisters also worked on the farm.

“What I remember well is my father didn’t have modern tractors,’ Korpriva told the television station. “We took gas, gasoline out in the field in five-gallon buckets.”

“We’d cross the pasture, we would walk, and then on the way back, we would stop at the creek and catch frogs, put them in our pockets,” Kompus added.

The sisters said they have seen many changes through the years.

“We have got refrigerators and deep freezers,” Pochop told KSNW. “We didn’t have that those days.”

The Holub family weathered the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.

“It was dark sometimes. The teachers would call the parents, and you know, come and get us from school. Then, we had old homes, and at the bottom, my mother would always put wet towels so the dirt wouldn’t be so bad to come in,” Kopriva told the television station. “The younger generation don’t believe what we done went through. We work today, but we worked harder those days.”

“Things are a lot better now than they were when we were little,” Pochop added.

Each sister had advice for the younger generations.

“I think faith comes first and thank your parents, grandparents,” Kopriva told KSNW.

“I would tell them to walk a lot,” Kompus added.

“We eat well, right?” Kopriva laughed. “And pray and try to stay out of mischief.”

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