Lincoln woman turns 100 on Friday

Vernice Foster celebrating 100th birthday with five generations of her family.

On Friday, Lincoln resident Vernice Foster celebrated her 100th birthday with her family.

“It means a lot to me,” Foster said. “A lot to me. They’re good to me. They help me. They love me like I love them.”

Foster moved to Lincoln from Iowa in 1943, growing up on a farm as one of thirteen children. She has 3 daughters and one son preceded in death, 11 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren, and 6 great great grandchildren. She spent her 100th birthday in the company of several of those family members. They shared what makes Vernice so special.

“She’s just a great, loving mom,” daughter Barbara Schaefer said. “She was always there for us, and for the grandkids, and the great grandkids.”

Foster worked for more than 50 years at Russell Stover and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, ultimately retiring at the age of 90. When she broke her hip in 2014, doctors said it would take her six to eight months to recover and return home. She beat that timetable and was back home within five months.

Foster’s granddaughter Lisa Strack has fond memories of going with her grandfather to pick up Foster from her job at Russell Stover. She says her grandmother would often leave her job smelling like chocolate and she’d always have candy for her and her siblings. Strack says she and her family members admire Foster for her kindness, her work ethic, and her incredible memory.

“She’s just a very strong-willed person,” Strack said. “She’s a very sweet person. We always say she’s tough as nails and sharp as a tack.”

Foster still lives at her home in Lincoln and does her own grocery shopping, is capable of doing household chores, and even a little bit of yard work. She says that she feels as good as ever.

“I feel good,” Foster said. “I don’t feel any different than I did a while back.”