Bio: Wicker, Fannie – 97 Years Old (1 Jan 1974)

Transcriber: Stan

Surnames: Wicker

----Source: Tribune/Phonograph (Abbotsford, Clark Co., Wis.) 10 Jan 1974

Mrs. George Wicker of the Colonial Nursing Home in Colby was born on New Year's Day in 1877. She came to Colby in 1902 to help in her brother's furniture store. When her brother moved, she got a job as Colby's first telephone operator in 1903.

In 1905 she was married to George Wicker and they operated a farm, which was the old Wicker homestead near Colby. They has one son, Gilbert, who also worked on the farm until they moved to the city of Colby in 1949.

Although Fannie Wicker is 97 years old, she has an alert mind, like to visit, and since her cataract operation last May, she is able to read again.

Last July she rode in the Colby Centennial parade as Colby's oldest resident. Later she sat on the reviewing stand and enjoyed watching the rest of the parade. It was a big day for her.

She celebrated her birthday with friends and relatives at the nursing home.