Notable Nineties and Sensational Centenarians of 2025
From Time to Thyme
By Paula Dunn
I usually reserve the last column of each year for paying tribute to our Notable Nineties and Sensational Centenarians, but since the Times wasn’t published on New Year’s Eve, I’m going to start 2026 with the salute instead!
If you’re a regular reader, you’re probably already familiar with the Notable Nineties, but in case you’re not, the Notable Nineties list is something Jerry Snyder came up with when she was writing her Times column several years ago.
Jerry noticed that Hamilton County seemed to have an awful lot of people in their ninth decade. She felt that simply reaching that age was an impressive feat that should be recognized in some manner, so she created the “Notable Nineties.”
When Jerry passed away, I kept the list going in my column, and added the “Sensational Centenarian” designation ( “100+!”) to recognize people who’ve reached the age of 100.
If you know a Hamilton County resident 90 years old or older who’d get a kick out of seeing their name in the paper, pass their name along to me. I’ll add them to the list and give them a special shout-out in a column. I seem to add most people in January after the entire list runs, but I’m glad to take names all year long.
I just ask that someone — ANYone — tells me to put a person on the list. I won’t add a name unless a request is made. Some people don’t want their age to be public knowledge and I want to respect their privacy.
I’ve done my best to keep the list current, but that’s become much more difficult than it used to be because obituaries don’t always appear in the local newspapers these days. (I’m still bummed that I missed paying my respects to a very nice lady last summer because I didn’t learn she’d passed away until the day AFTER her funeral.)
The 2025 Notable Nineties list appears below. If you see any changes or corrections that should be made, please let me know. I’d also appreciate being notified when someone turns 100, so I can add them to the Sensational Centenarians.
A belated Happy New Year to everyone!
The Notable Nineties and Sensational Centenarians of 2025:
Richard “Dick” Beaver
Charlotte “Char” Beer
Clarence “Clem” Beer
Betty Brattain
Charles Burkhardt
Barbara Cartwright
Sarah Cloud
Eunice Collins
Jay Curnutt
Gwen Galbreath (100+!)
Don Garrison
Nancy Garrison
Sue Musselman Haines
Bernice (Reel) Heiny
Glen Heiny
Peggy Hodges
Geraldine (Whelcher) Kinzer
Nancy Lacy
Wilbur Lacy
Barbara (Guilkey) Lawson
Helen LeCount (100+!)
Joan Love
Billye Meadows
Ruby Sanders Randall Mendell
Joyce Menefee
Peggy Randall Merrill
Geraldine (Burwell) Miller
Rosemary (Leonard) Miller
Winona Moss
Helen Nelson
Cathy Rodgers
Alice (Simmerman) Rulon
Carol Rushton
Evelyn Harvey Schmollinger
Ivan “Sonny” Sherman
Carol Stough
Marilyn Sutton
Carol A. (Roudebush) Swaynie
Mary Waltz
Harriet (Guilkey) Wise
Peggy Yancey
Paula Dunn’s From Time to Thyme column appears on Wednesdays in The Times. Contact her at younggardenerfriend@gmail.com