A century of stories between them

For nearly a hundred years, Doris Haugen and Arleen Tillison have kept each other close if not through daily phone calls, then through visits that span the miles between South Dakota and California.
At 99 and 101, respectively, the sisters still make sure to see one another at least once a year. Doris flew out for Arleens milestone birthdays. Arleen returned to South Dakota this summer for a funeral and again this month for a family wedding.
Travel hasnt always been simple. When Arleen flew home in July, her birth year, 1924, didnt compute in the TSAs system.
They dont expect 100-year-olds to be flying, laughed her daughter, Robyn. Mom is actually older than Delta Airlines.
The sisters grew up with four girls and one boy on a farm near Sinai, South Dakota. By default, they were part of all the chores: milking cows before walking a mile and a half to school, shocking grain in summer, picking corn in fall. Even hog-yard cobs were scavenged for the cookstove.
You were always outside doing something, Doris said.
Arleen, the rebel, left young for California, where she met her husband, Bill, at the Ali Baba dance hall. She worked at the Naval Supply Depot and raised three children there. Doris tried California for a summer after high school, but came home, met her husband Lawrence at a dance hall in Brookings, and stayed. Shes raised four children and lived in Flandreau ever since.
Both sisters lost their husbands years ago but remain deeply connected to their families, now filled with grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Family say they marvel at how independent and sharp both women remain, still sending each other greeting cards and swapping stories even when only one might remember all of the details.
Their secret to a long life? A simple, active farm upbringing. Plenty of dancing. Strong coffee. And a good laugh.
Appreciate what you have today, they say.
Enjoy all of the things, electronics, the simple things in life. Take care of them, and be happy.