Faith in God and a healthy diet that includes vegetables and walking are Ona Bixler’s keys to living a century.
‘Mom never thought she’d live this long,? laughs Joyce Brendel, speaking for her mother. ‘Her three brothers all died in their late 60s or early 70s.?
Brendel, a 1954 Ortonville High School graduate, will be among friends and family to celebrate Ona’s 100th birthday from 2-8 p.m., March 8, at the Seymour Lake United Methodist Church, 3050 Sashabaw Road.
Born March 4, 1908 in Harrisburg, Ill., Ona Bishop moved with her two brothers, Schuyler and Ross, to Pontiac in 1929 to find work in the automobile industry.
‘Mom’s uncles served in World War I,? said Brendel. ‘She cared for one of the uncles who had a leg amputated as the result of the war. Mom also recalled seeing the first automobiles on the road and the transition from horses.?
‘When mom came to Pontiac she found a job at Jig Bushing,? said Brendel. ‘Her brothers went to work at Pontiac Motors.?
Ona married Millard Bixler in 1930, and the couple moved to Brandon Township in 1951, when they purchased 30 acres near Perry Lake Road and Seymour Lake Road. The Bixlers joined the Seymour Lake United Methodist Church in the early 1950s.
‘Later, mom owned her own beauty salon and did hair for many years in Pontiac,? said Brendel. ‘Mom used to speak with a lady that came into the salon that was a survivor of the Titanic. The family was very prominent in the Pontiac area and owned grocery stores in the area.?
After 58 years of marriage, Millard died in 1988, and in 1990 Ona moved to Waterford. Today she lives in Union Lake.