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Marie Peterlin Celebrates 100th Birthday As The Cards Pour In

By Howard Ludwig | April 19, 2016 6:47am
 Marie Peterlin celebrated her 100th birthday Sunday. She's received hundreds of cards in recent days from friends, family and fellow parishioners at Christ the King Parish in North Beverly.
Marie Peterlin celebrated her 100th birthday Sunday. She's received hundreds of cards in recent days from friends, family and fellow parishioners at Christ the King Parish in North Beverly.
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DNAinfo/Howard A. Ludwig

BEVERLY — Marie Peterlin's mailbox was filled with cards Monday afternoon — the day after the North Beverly resident celebrated her 100th birthday.

Many of the cards came from parishioners at Christ the King Parish in North Beverly. Peterlin believes her postal windfall was prompted by a notice about her birthday in the church bulletin.

She was also presented with a giant box filled with birthday cards Sunday morning from students at Christ the King School after attending Mass with her family.

"It's been so much excitement and commotion," said Peterlin, who has lived in her home on the Far Southwest Side since 1952.

In the days before tractors, Peterlin was raised on a wheat farm near Abilene, Kan. The oldest of five children, Peterlin went on to graduate from nursing school in Wichita and saw an ad for nurses wanted in Cook County upon completing her studies.

 Marie Peterlin is surrounded by three generations of her family. Her daughter, Judy Herman, holds Marie's great granddaughter, Kierlyn Wiest. Peterlin's granddaughter, Becky Wiest, is also pictured at the Christ the King Parish in North Beverly.
Marie Peterlin is surrounded by three generations of her family. Her daughter, Judy Herman, holds Marie's great granddaughter, Kierlyn Wiest. Peterlin's granddaughter, Becky Wiest, is also pictured at the Christ the King Parish in North Beverly.
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DNAinfo/Supplied Photo

"It was the Depression, so it was hard to get a job," said Peterlin, who traveled to Chicago with her sister.

"I thought, 'This won't last long. We will be back.' Well, that was 80 years ago," Peterlin said with a bit of a quiet chuckle Monday afternoon.

She ended up meeting her husband, William Peterlin, while working as a nurse. He was in a car accident and spent four months in the hospital. The pair later married in 1942 and had five children.

"I got accustomed to him. I guess that's what happened," said Peterlin, who lives with her oldest child Barbara.

Barbara Peterlin is deaf, and the family moved to Beverly to be closer to a special school for their daughter. The other children attended nearby Christ the King, said Peterlin, who believes Beverly will remain a strong community for years to come.

"In many ways, things are just as good as they have always been," Peterlin said. "This neighborhood will last because it's a nice place to raise children."

William Peterlin died 31 years ago. He owned a trucking company along with his three brothers, and their primary account was hauling General Mills' breakfast cereal. Meanwhile, Marie Peterlin stayed home to raise their children but returned to work as a nurse to help pay for college.

She was an active quilter and also belonged to a neighborhood gardening club as well as a prayer group. When it became difficult for her to attend meetings, she opened up her home to host the prayer group, said Judy Herman, Peterlin's second youngest daughter.

Marie Peterlin also has six grandchildren and one great grandchild. Her birthday offered a rare moment where four generations of the family were able to gather for a photo after Mass.

Peterlin credits her long life to her faith. And as for all the cards, she simply threw up her hands and smiled.

"It's been fun," she said. "This is going to be in next week's bulletin, 'Thank you all.'"

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