'It's been a wonderful life'

Betty Olson is living proof that longevity resides in the genes.

The Shelton woman's mother reached the age of 100 years and three months. Two of Olson's sisters lived until they were 100 years, seven months.

Olson passed the century milestone April 6. Friends and family joined her for a celebration at Alpine Way Continuing Care Community in Shelton, where she has lived since 2017.

"It's been a wonderful life," she said on April 5, the day before her birthday. "I've been blessed with friends and family. Life is good."

Olson was born April 6, 1922, in Waterville, near Wenatchee and grew up on her family's wheat farm. She is the youngest of six children. Olson hiked, rode horses and played soccer at Waterville High School, where she graduated in 1940.

Olson married at age 17, and the couple had two sons. They moved to Portland during World War II, where Olson worked as a "Rosie the Riveter," building pontoons at the Portland Shipyards.

In 1945, the family moved to Shelton, where Olson's husband worked for Rayonier.

"I loved it," she said. "You knew everyone on the street. Everything has changed except one thing: the old Log Cabin Tavern."

Olson attended cosmetology school in Olympia, and then began a 45-year career in hair styling. She and her second husband opened Olson's Barber and Beauty Shop on Olympic Highway South, where he was the barber. They worked together for 34 years.

After he died, Olson married Orvel Anderson in 1992. The couple moved to Alpine Way in 2017, where Anderson died two years later.

"I have loved every one of the workers," she said. "They are like family. I have been blessed to have them in my life." Good friends often come to visit.

Olson offers two pieces of advice gleaned from her century of life:

"Work hard and play hard."

"Don't be afraid to share your loves."