One Day At A Time Mabel Webber Achieved Another Milestone In Her Life: She Turned 100 Years Old

From William McKinley to Bill Clinton, 18 presidents have spanned the 100-year life of Spokane’s Mabel Webber.

And Webber is hoping to see her 19th, and the nation’s 43rd, president by sticking around to the year 2000.

But as far as she is concerned, there will never be another president like the “Rough Rider,” Theodore Roosevelt.

“He was an impressive man,” said Webber, who was 11 when Roosevelt’s second term as president ended in 1909. “I liked his background very much, and his disposition.”

Whether it’s talking about former presidents or playing a game of Scrabble, Webber can still match wits with the best.

Webber reached the century mark on May 7. She celebrated her birthday the following day with family and friends at the Hawthorne Retirement Community, where she has lived for 17 years.

Many in attendance were in awe of the elderly woman.

“She is one of the most remarkable people you will ever meet,” said Hawthorne director Marilyn Teets. “She is extremely well educated, as is the rest of her family.”

Crossword puzzles, Scrabble and bridge help keep her mind sharp, Webber said.

Hawthorne resident Ruth Palmer attested to that during the birthday party which was held in Hawthorne’s dining room. The party attracted roughly 30 people.

“I’ve played Scrabble with Mabel more than once and I’ve been beaten by Mabel more than once,” Palmer said. “She always outwits me on the long words.

Webber also started writing poetry five years ago.

She has two children, Carroll Webber Jr. of Greenville, N.C., and Phyllis McWilliams of North Miami Beach, Fla. Her son was in Spokane for her birthday.

She has four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, three nephews and seven grandnieces and nephews.

Along with family, she has a history in the area. Her father was president of Cheney Normal School, modern-day Eastern Washington University, and former owner of the Elk Drug Store, now the Elk Restaurant in Browne’s Addition.

Webber was born in Spokane. She graduated from North Central High School and Washington State University, where she received a degree in music.

She met her husband, Carroll Webber, at WSU. The couple moved to New York City, where he worked after graduating from college. They married on Sept. 10, 1923.

After her children finished elementary school, Webber took classes at the prestigious Juilliard School of Music. She later opened her home as a piano studio.

Later, Carroll’s career path took them from Alaska to Guatemala. On their own they traveled throughout Asia and the South Pacific.

She moved back to Spokane after her husband’s death in 1977 to be closer to her sisters, Ruth Torgerson and Elsie Hartley, both of whom have since died.

Webber said she lives one day at a time. She said the most important thing in her life is family.

“This is what it’s about, being with the ones you love,” she said.