At 100 years old, former resident offers sage advice: just live one day at a time

    Phyllis Allen-Langin has some simple advice for people of younger generations—live one day at a time.
    The former resident of Imperial, who lived more than 70 of her 100 years here, celebrated her May 3 birthday milestone with a party last weekend near Doniphan.
    Her family includes three children—Deb Swenson, Doug and Donny; 7 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren and one great, great grandchild, with another on the way.  
    They were among about 70 who attended her party.
    “I can’t believe it. It feels like a dream,” she said of turning 100 years old.
    She attributes her long life to growing up on a farm south of Hastings, and the work, sometimes hard, that came with it.
    “We also spent a lot of time outside and we walked to school,” she said.
    She attended a “real” country school, she said, and graduated from a small town high school south of Hastings in Pauline.
    That led to business school in Hastings, after which she took a job at a bank in Hastings.
    And that’s where she met future husband Bob, fresh out of the service, who walked in to open an account, she said.
    They were married Sept. 29, 1946. After a year and a half in Lincoln and school in Milford, the couple moved to Palisade in 1949 and to Imperial shortly after that.
    One of her fond memories here was Bob’s involvement with the Imperial Volunteer Fire Department, which he joined in 1952.
    At least 20 of those years he served as fire chief and remained an IVFD member until his death in June 1990. She was an IVFD auxiliary member most of those years.
    “The firemen in Imperial still have a special place in my heart,” she said.
    Two years ago, as she celebrated her 98th birthday, and before she moved to Omaha, the IVFD drove several of its fire trucks and sounded the sirens by her home, where some of her family were celebrating her birthday.
    Phyllis worked a number of years side-by-side with Bob in the business office at Imperial Manor, where he served as administrator.
    She was also very active in the community, according to her daughter.
    She served as a Scout den mother,  Sunday school teacher, a junior high fellowship sponsor, and was a member of the veterans auxiliary, hospital auxiliary and United Methodist Church board. She was a UMC member more than 50 years, where she was also active in the United Methodist Women and church circle.
    After Bob’s death, Phyllis married Phil Langin of Imperial, also a widower, in 1991. That marriage added more to the family.
    He died in 2007 and she continued living in Imperial until 2021, when she moved to live in Omaha with daughter Deb and husband Bob Swenson.
    Donny lives in Wauneta and Doug in Arizona.
    She is thankful for turning 100 years old.
    “I’ve been blessed with the days I’ve had on earth,” she said this week.
    “There have been some rough times, too, but they build you up.”