Local resident marks her 100th birthday

Melba Eugenia Sims of Roseville celebrated her 100th birthday Sept. 25.For Sims the key to a long and happy life is being friendly to everyone and to always meet new friends. It appears she has done just that at Roseville Commons, where her new friends treated her to a surprise 100th birthday party."Melba has been with us almost two years and she has been a delight to have as a resident as she keeps us on our toes," Ana Billingsley, activities director at Roseville Commons, said in a news release. Melba Eugenia Sims, born in Eugene, Ore., was the eldest of four siblings and has outlived all but a sister, one year her junior, who also lives in Roseville. Her parents were ranchers who moved the family to Farmersville, outside Visalia, when Melba was about 6 years old. The ranch had peaches, apricots and prunes trees, and grew cotton and other crops. Melba attended Exeter High School and at age 18, took a job with Pacific Telephone as an operator."My cousin took me to sign up for a job, I got it, and I stayed for 45 years," Melba said.Her memory of handling the multi-line switch boards is still clear and she can even remember her parents' phone line – 14F22. When asked about her favorite activity growing up, she said she loved to dance. She and her friends would go to the dance halls each weekend and dance to the sounds of the big bands of the war era. She even remembers learning the twist to Chubby Checkers' music. Melba, a widow, did not have children, but has enjoyed lots of nieces, nephews and cousins. She kept active with her love of gardening, cooking and animals. Now, she loves to take drives to see the change of seasons, especially fall foliage and springtime blooming azaleas and dogwood trees.