Staff photo by Fritz Busch Oak Hills Living Center resident Sally Ries, left, gets birthday greetings from son Tom and his wife Lynn of Mankato Saturday. Sally Ries turned 100 Saturday, a personal goal, her children said. Sally’s mother Minnie lived for 100 years too.

NEW ULM — Sally Ries is following a family tradition.

She reached age 100 Saturday. Her mother Minnie lived to be 100 too.

“She said she’d make 100 because her mother did,” said her daughter-in-law Charlotte Ries of New Ulm, outside Oak Hills Living Center.

Most of Sally’s family helped her celebrate her 100th birthday Saturday.

With the nursing home on lock-down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her children and grandchildren living in Minnesota stood or sat outside her window and chatted with her on the phone.

They sang “Happy Birthday” to her.

Sally’s son Tom and his wife Lynn (Fenske) of Mankato held a large sign outside Sally’s window that read “Sally is 100 today. Congratulations from your family of six children, 21 grandchildren, two great grandchildren and four great, great grandchildren.”

She got a phone call from her oldest son Harold in California and told him to slow down and drive carefully.

A number of Sally’s family said she was considered the best cow milker on the family farm located a mile west of Klossner.

Sally and her husband Jerome who died in 1972, not long after they moved to New Ulm, grew corn and beans, milked several dozen cows and raised hogs and sheep.

That wasn’t all they were good at.

“Sally and Jerome were good dancers too,” Charlotte said. “They enjoyed dancing to polka music including waltzes at ballrooms in New Ulm and other nearby towns.”

“Sally was always busy, milking cows, baking bread, making sauerkraut and dumplings and gardening,” Charlotte added.

“None of the family could miss Mass. She made sure of that,” Sally’s son Mike Ries of Mankato said.

“She loved to do the best job of milking cows in the morning and at night. She knew just what do about it,” said Tom Ries. “Even later in life, she went to lots of polka dances. She liked fishing too, catching crappies and sunfish at Lake Marion.”

Mary Ries of New Ulm said her mother enjoyed going to church, including Thursday morning and Sunday services at Oak Hills.

“I often read The Journal (newspaper) to her. She liked the photos too,” Mary said. “Every other month, she’d go to wine and dine at Oak Hills.”

Perhaps Sally’s son Bob of New Brighton had the most interesting story about her.

“She was in a pen on the farm when a big bull came at her. She had a big steel pipe she used to knock it out by hitting it on the head,” Bob Ries said.

The Ries family has hopes of giving Sally another birthday party in August, when her oldest son Harold and son Jerry of Texas, a retired U.S. Navy aviator, plan to visit.

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.