Wiltscheck’s birthday is actually on Friday, April 18, but her friend group has the tradition of hosting a tea party get-together on Thursday and decided to change it into an early birthday party since this was a major milestone.

Wiltscheck was born on April 18, 1924, making this her 101 at birthday.

“We just say she is starting her second century,” friend and neighbor Karen Farrell said.

Wiltscheck and friends spent the lunch hour swapping their favorite stories about Wiltscheck who is something of a legend. In her 101 years, Wiltscheck has seen and experienced a lot and her gift for humor sometimes makes it difficult to tell which stories are true which are tall tales.

Adeline Wiltscheck celebrates her 101st birthday at the Pizza Ranch with a group of close friends known as the 825 Tea Ladies. The group gathers every Thursday, and decided to celebrate Wiltcheck starting her second century a day early. Back Row: L to R: Helen Stein, Terry Blume, Kathy Murphy, Romona Current, Geri Levons and JoAnn Wiltscheck Front Row: Connie Kalk, Karen Farrell, Adeline Wiltscheck and Carol Steinhaus

Wiltscheck grew up in the country outside of New Ulm in the Sigel Township. She said her first memory was being 4 years old and drawing in the dirt with a stick.

“That’s what we had back then,” Wiltscheck said. “We didn’t have any of these plastic toys or cell phones.”

The memory of drawing with a stick stayed with her because on that day her mom told her to come back inside because there were clouds forming.

Wiltscheck did not want to come inside and told her mom, “No.” For that her mom spanked her, but what happened next was more surprising. The cloud her mother had warned her of was not a rain cloud, it was locust. Half an hour after she went inside, a swarm of grasshoppers swept through. She remembers her mom was really upset because the swarm ate the clothes hanging on the line outside.

Wiltscheck married her husband, Harold, in 1943. The couple had eight kids, two girls and six boys. Wiltscheck joked that eventually all of her boys would be on a first-name basis with all the local cops.

One of the things Wiltscheck is best known for is playing the drums. She took up drumming later in life at the behest of her son, Alan “Smiley” Wiltscheck.

She said Smiley was a great concertina player and was in a band called the Northside Dutchman. After his drummer dropped out, he asked his mom to play.

“I didn’t know how to drum,” Adeline Wiltscheck admitted “But I got the hang of it.”

She played off and on with Smiley for many years and there are several videos of the two playing together on YouTube. In addition to the drums, Wiltscheck taught herself to play piano and concertina. She said the piano is easy to play once you know the chords.

Adeline Wiltscheck remembers playing with Smiley during Heritagefest celebrations. She said sometimes she served as a translator. Like many of her generation, she grew up speaking English and German. Her German language skills came in handy during HeritageFest celebrations because some of the visiting German performers did not speak English. Wiltscheck said she is still in contact with some of the German musicians today.

Wiltscheck is also well-versed in American Sign Language (ASL). She learned ASL to better communicate with one of her grandchildren.

In addition to her side job as a drummer in her son’s band, Wiltscheck served as a bus driver for New Ulm School District during the 1970s. She said it was one of her favorite jobs because it was a joy to see the kids every day. She remembers fondly listening to the kids share stories with her. The job paid about $7 an hour, which she considered fair at that time.

Wiltscheck drove the bus for about 15 years before retiring. Her friends noted that she only officially gave up her driver’s license last October.

Wiltscheck said she learned to drive at a young age. In fact, she received her licenses in a time before a formal test was required.

She remembered learning to drive on 1938 model car. Her father had bought the car new. She remembered he was impressed with the vehicle had adjustable rearview mirrors.

Asked what she thought was the greatest innovation of her lifetime, Wiltscheck said it was the push-button washing machine. Before that, she had to use the wringer washer, which she hated because it was too easy to get pinched by it.

Now at over 100 years old, Wiltscheck still lives in her home on North Washington Street in New Ulm. The home was built in 1980 and she even helped with construction.

Her friends said they do have to keep an eye on her. Connie Kalk said she still occasionally sees Wiltscheck bring out a ladder to do her own home maintenance.

Wiltscheck is well-loved in her neighborhood. Karen Farrell said when she first moved in, Wiltscheck was the first person to welcome her to the neighborhood. She was also one of the first people to join their local tea group.

Asked about the secret to her longevity, Wiltscheck’s friends said it was her great sense of humor and mischievous behavior.

Wiltscheck did not disagree.

“You have to be able to laugh,” she said.

Wiltscheck said she will be spending the rest of her birthday weekend with her family. She has 17 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, many of whom are returning to visit her over the weekend.