Still going strong: Virginia Palo celebrates 100th birthday

Mar. 29—There may be many reasons why Virginia Palo has lasted a century. But clean and simple living has got to be a major one.

Palo, of Lewiston, who celebrates her 100th birthday today, has raised five sons, outlived three husbands, never smoked or drank, eats healthy and, according to her health care providers, "has the vitals of a teenager."

Her motto is: "Be moderate in all things," Palo said recently, sitting in her comfortable home surrounded by plants and flowers that are her passion. "My father always told me, 'Be moderate in all things.' "

Palo was born in Provo, Utah, to a longtime Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints family, one of five children. When she was 12 the family moved to Rigby, Idaho, where her father was a farmer, a beekeeper and also became a commercial fisherman. He supplied fish to the Japanese internment camp at Minidoka, Idaho, and, after moving to St. Maries, Idaho, sold fish to the Farragut Naval Training Station.

Palo graduated from high school in Rigby and helped out at her mother's drive-in restaurant. She remembers fun times with friends and family growing up, especially when the teenagers would gather at the local drugstore to drink soda pop and socialize.

During that time, a young soldier named James Mundell dropped in at her mother's restaurant.

"My mother said (to Mundell), 'Why don't you go down and see Virginia?' " Palo said. "So he came down and started going out with me. And then he had to go back to camp."

Mundell had joined the U.S. Army in the late 1930s and was home on leave from the Schofield barracks in Honolulu just a month before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

After the attack, Mundell returned to his post and then was transferred to what was then called Burma, where he contracted polio. He spent nearly a year in an iron lung and returned home to Walla Walla, Wash., for recuperation, but was permanently disabled.

In 1945, Palo and Mundell married and moved to Lewiston, where her father-in-law, Orie Mundell, was a bee inspector for the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.

Palo and her husband raised cattle, bees and their children until Mundell's death in 1967 at age 46.

There were still four young boys at home when their father died; the oldest one in the military. Palo had worked at Smith Frozen Foods green pea factory in Lewiston (later Twin City Foods).

To support her family, she started working as a cook at Camelot Elementary School and became the head cook. She worked there for 25 years.

After her first husband's death, she married William Stricker, who died, and later Elmer Palo, who died in 1985.

Throughout the years Palo's family and friends, especially those in her church, were her support and mainstay.

"I would never made it without them," she said.

She was an active member of the Latter Day Saints Relief Society.

"We made quilts," she said. "I took the kids to primary. I was always busy. I always had to have a lot of flowers and gardens and stuff. I was always busy."

She also participated in water aerobics until two or three years ago. This year she took a look at the flowers around her house and had second thoughts.

"I've worked in my yard until this year and I went out there and I said, 'Oh, I don't know.' But I have some grandsons that's going to come and help me."

Besides her five sons, Palo has 28 grandchildren and upwards of 100 great- and great-great grandchildren.

"And I have lots of company from southern Idaho come see me all the time," she said.

Her 100th birthday celebration will be 1-4 p.m. Saturday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1123 16th Ave., Clarkston.

Hedberg may be contacted at khedberg@lmtribune.com.