Mantua resident Ethelyn VonHelmers Fitzsimmons was born in 1915, just as playwright Arthur Miller and singer Frank Sinatra. But Ethelyn, who wrote poetry and played the piano, is the only one on that distinguished list celebrating a birthday this year.
The First World War known as “The Great War,” began the year before she was born. In fact, the RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat just 10 days before her birth.
That same year, the Pennsylvania Railroad began electrified commuter rail, using overhead AC trolley wires for power. This type of system is later used in long-distance passenger trains between New York City, Washington, D.C., and Harrisburg, PA. A silent film, “The Foundling,” starring Mary Pickford was released in 1915.
Ethelyn was born in Marietta, OH, the only child of Herman VonHelmers and Lucille Boothby VonHelmers. Her parents divorced soon after, and her dad wasn’t a big presence in her life. Her mother married Clyde Timlin, whom Ethelyn remembers as a kind, caring man.
She remembers the Great Depression, recalling newspaper stories that showed people standing in line for food in New York. She noted that her family didn’t suffer, since they lived on a farm and were self-sufficient.
Ethelyn attended a one-room schoolhouse, and earned a scholarship to Marietta College, where she graduated with honors. During WWII in her late 20’s, she moved to Akron with a friend, working as a medical stenographer at Green Cross Hospital in Akron (now Western Reserve Hospital).
After World War II ended, she met the man who would become her husband on a blind date. She and James Paul Fitzsimmons married when she was 36. He worked as a mail carrier in Kent and had a second job at a racetrack in Cleveland, so they made their home in Mantua, halfway between the two. Since the couple didn’t have children, Ethelyn took a job at Kent State University as a secretary in the President’s office.
She credits her calm, quiet life, (and activities including writing, gardening, and piano) with her longevity. “I’ve had a good life,” she noted. “There have been ups and downs, but it’s never been boring.” She still lives in the home she and James shared.
To mark the occasion of her 110th birthday, her friends from the Mantua Historical Society have suggested that folks help her celebrate this milestone by sending birthday cards to P.O. Box 493, Mantua, OH 44255.
