Aplington native celebrates 108th birthday

Helen (Harken) Knavel celebrated her 108th birthday on Jan. 24 at her son Bill’s home, where she lives in Shoreline, Washington.

Born in 1911, Knavel was raised on a 230-acre farm near Aplington. She was the fifth of eight children born to Wiard “William” Klaas Harken and Harmke Frerichs.

Knavel’s life on the farm started every morning with chores. Before breakfast, Knavel fed the pigs, hogs, cows and horses and helped milk the cows. Country school was cold in the winter, but there was a great big furnace, which students would warm up by on frosty mornings.

Seasonally, Knavel helped plow and cultivate with horses. She also picked corn and shocked oats.

Her family had a well and an outhouse—no electricity, running water or telephones.

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