At 99 years old, Kathleen Tousignant has a lot of life lessons to share, reflect
Kathleen Tousignant was born on March 12, 1925 in Farmington. She was the first baby born in the first hospital that Farmington ever had.
MPR News | Chris Farrell
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If there’s anyone that fits the bill for our Connect the Dots series it’s Kathleen Tousignant, 99. As part of our series we continue to talk to older Minnesotans as they look back on their long lives and share wisdom and lessons.
Let’s go back to the year 1925. Calvin Coolidge was President. Teaching evolution in schools was outlawed in Tennessee, leading to the legendary Scopes trial that same year. The famed Serum Run by dogsled relay crossed Alaska to bring the diphtheria antitoxin to the town of Nome and surrounding communities. And, on March 12, 1925, Tousignant was born. She now resides in Lakeville. MPR’s senior economics contributor Chris Farrell recently visited with her at her continuing care community complex.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING] NINA MOINI: Well, if there's anyone that fits the bill for our Connect The Dots series, it's 99-year-old Kathleen Tousignant. As part of our series, we continue to talk to older Minnesotans as they look back on their long lives and share their wisdom and lessons. Let's go back to the year 1925. Calvin Coolidge was president, teaching evolution in schools was outlawed in Tennessee, leading to the legendary Scopes trial that same year.
The famed Serum Run by dog sled relay crossed Alaska to bring the diphtheria antitoxin to the town of Nome and surrounding communities. And on March 12, 1925, Kathleen was born. She now lives in Lakeville. MPR's senior economics contributor Chris Farrell recently visited with her at her continuing care community complex, and he's here to tell us about her. Welcome, Chris.
CHRIS FARRELL: It's great to be here.
NINA MOINI: It's so great to talk with you, and I love this series. Thank you for doing it. So, Kathleen grew up then in Lakeville?
CHRIS FARRELL: No, she grew up in Farmington. And her father and her brother, they owned one of the two meat markets in town. Her mom took care of the home. And by the way, I thought this was a really cool fact.
NINA MOINI: OK.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: I was the first baby born in the first hospital that Farmington ever had.
NINA MOINI: Wow. Not many people can say that.
CHRIS FARRELL: Yes. So she went to high school in Farmington. And Nina, of course, it's not surprising, she is the last surviving member of her class.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: Everybody else is gone from my class. I'm the only one left from my class. And I was told I should just mix a drink and sit out on my patio and have my class reunion all by myself.
NINA MOINI: OK. I have to ask, did she do that? That sounds fun.
CHRIS FARRELL: It does sound like fun. She says she was tempted, but she decided not to.
NINA MOINI: OK. So living to 99 isn't really unheard of these days, right? But it does remain relatively rare.
CHRIS FARRELL: It is so Minnesota has a population of some 5.6 million, and there are almost 42,000 people in the state between the ages of 90 and 99. So that's less than 1%. That said, thanks to the aging of the population along with advances in health and education levels, more people are living well into their 90s. Pew Research, they calculate that the percentage of people in the US living into their 90s will roughly double over the next 30 years.
NINA MOINI: Wow. The demographics of aging are just so fascinating. For Kathleen, what did she do in her life? I mean, where did she go after high school?
CHRIS FARRELL: So she attended Mankato Teachers College, which we now know as Minnesota State University, Mankato. But these were the war years. And she learned about a company in Rosemont that was making gunpowder and it was expanding.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: And I was going to be a teacher, but they were hiring people out there for twice as much as teachers were making. So I didn't go back to school. I got a job out there.
NINA MOINI: Makes sense. Does Kathleen have family?
CHRIS FARRELL: Yes. So she was married twice. And her first husband was a farmer near Lakeville. And they had six children, and he died of cancer at age 47. 14 years later, she remarried. She and her husband had a driving range and mini golf business in Rosemont. And over the years, she's had a variety of jobs. Besides the munitions company, she worked at a jewelry store, a retail clothing store in a mall, and she was with Welcome Wagons for years. But to your question, yes, she has a large family, including many grandchildren.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: I have 12 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. And I have three great, great grandchildren.
NINA MOINI: Oh, my gosh. Three great, great grandchildren. So if I'm doing the math right, her family is a five generations strong right now. Did you ask her what she wanted younger generations to know about life? She's certainly seen a lot and done a lot.
CHRIS FARRELL: So you're not going to be surprised. I asked her that very question, and here's her response.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: I think they should be honest with people, and they should be nice to other people and just spend their lives being happy and nice.
NINA MOINI: That pretty much sums up what matters, doesn't it?
CHRIS FARREL It really does. Look, there's a lot of life in 99 years. Imagine commercial radio-- I mean, we're in the radio business-- commercial radio was only five years old when she was born, and it would be another two years before the first successful demonstration of television in San Francisco. So how's this for an understatement?
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: I have seen a lot of things that have been changed, and it's amazing how different it is now compared to what it was then.
CHRIS FARRELL: So she's lived through all these technological innovations, these economic booms and busts. I think I calculated, what, 16 presidnetial elections. But anyway. But that wasn't what we talked about. She kept the focus on family, friends, and shared memories.
NINA MOINI: That makes sense. Family is what matters to her.
CHRIS FARRELL: And you know, Nina, I think the longer you live, connections and memories about friends, family, former colleagues, people you're close to over the years, stand out. And much of the rest, kind of it falls by the wayside in importance. Years ago, I read Tuesdays with Morrie. It's a conversation with a professor. He was dying of ALS. And if you remember Cathy Wurzer series of interviews and writings with Bruce Kramer, the Saint Thomas professor who also died of ALS. And both Morrie and Bruce, they stressed the importance of love and meaningful relationships to the good life.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: Being near my children and grandchildren and not have them be living far away.
NINA MOINI: It sounds like Kathleen moved from Rosemont to Lakeville a few years ago to be closer to her children. And you said earlier that she lives now at a continuing care community in Lakeville. There are lots of opportunities in communities like this for people to stay socially connected, right?
CHRIS FARRELL: Right. And you can, staying active and staying socially well connected, I mean, it's just really well documented that it's good for your health. And she has her own apartment and she plays cards with her neighbors. And two of her daughters, Judy and Patsy, they were there during my visit.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: They stop often, and they bring me nice things a lot of times. And I appreciate that. They do a lot for me. Patty takes me to all my appointments, my doctor appointments. And I'm going to have surgery in two weeks. I'm going to have a hip replaced, and I'm 99 years old. And some doctors think that's too old. But my doctor said that I had the body of a 60-year-old.
NINA MOINI: Wow. Good for her. I hope that surgery goes well, Chris.
CHRIS FARRELL: Well, the news is the surgery went well yesterday.
NINA MOINI: Good.
CHRIS FARRELL: And while I was there, I asked Judy what she wanted people to know about her mom.
JUDY: She's very kind. She's been a very religious, spiritual woman. She's treats people like she wants to be treated.
PATSY: I think because she's so social and likes to be around people, she has a great sense of humor. And I think those things have carried her through some really difficult times in her life. She's had a lot of hard times and heartbreak in her life. So those things have carried her through. And her faith, of course.
NINA MOINI: Yeah just the resilience over that many years. Chris, her story is an important reminder how much society too often or maybe too easily underestimates the capacity of older people in their later years. Not all, of course, but many.
CHRIS FARRELL: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. And you know, difficult times. You lose two husbands. She lost two of her adult children. Thing is, she still has a sense of humor. So, Nina, how about a joke?
NINA MOINI: OK.
CHRIS FARRELL: All right. Toward the end of our conversation, Kathleen asked if I wanted to hear a joke. And of course, I said yes.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: Did you hear about the woman who is a very, very good housekeeper?
CHRIS FARRELL: No.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: Every time she gets divorced, she keeps the house. So she's a very good housekeeper.
[LAUGHTER]
NINA MOINI: We'll take notes on that. Thank you.
CHRIS FARRELL: Thanks a lot.
NINA MOINI: Thanks, Chris. Chris Farrell is MPR's senior economics contributor.
The famed Serum Run by dog sled relay crossed Alaska to bring the diphtheria antitoxin to the town of Nome and surrounding communities. And on March 12, 1925, Kathleen was born. She now lives in Lakeville. MPR's senior economics contributor Chris Farrell recently visited with her at her continuing care community complex, and he's here to tell us about her. Welcome, Chris.
CHRIS FARRELL: It's great to be here.
NINA MOINI: It's so great to talk with you, and I love this series. Thank you for doing it. So, Kathleen grew up then in Lakeville?
CHRIS FARRELL: No, she grew up in Farmington. And her father and her brother, they owned one of the two meat markets in town. Her mom took care of the home. And by the way, I thought this was a really cool fact.
NINA MOINI: OK.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: I was the first baby born in the first hospital that Farmington ever had.
NINA MOINI: Wow. Not many people can say that.
CHRIS FARRELL: Yes. So she went to high school in Farmington. And Nina, of course, it's not surprising, she is the last surviving member of her class.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: Everybody else is gone from my class. I'm the only one left from my class. And I was told I should just mix a drink and sit out on my patio and have my class reunion all by myself.
NINA MOINI: OK. I have to ask, did she do that? That sounds fun.
CHRIS FARRELL: It does sound like fun. She says she was tempted, but she decided not to.
NINA MOINI: OK. So living to 99 isn't really unheard of these days, right? But it does remain relatively rare.
CHRIS FARRELL: It is so Minnesota has a population of some 5.6 million, and there are almost 42,000 people in the state between the ages of 90 and 99. So that's less than 1%. That said, thanks to the aging of the population along with advances in health and education levels, more people are living well into their 90s. Pew Research, they calculate that the percentage of people in the US living into their 90s will roughly double over the next 30 years.
NINA MOINI: Wow. The demographics of aging are just so fascinating. For Kathleen, what did she do in her life? I mean, where did she go after high school?
CHRIS FARRELL: So she attended Mankato Teachers College, which we now know as Minnesota State University, Mankato. But these were the war years. And she learned about a company in Rosemont that was making gunpowder and it was expanding.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: And I was going to be a teacher, but they were hiring people out there for twice as much as teachers were making. So I didn't go back to school. I got a job out there.
NINA MOINI: Makes sense. Does Kathleen have family?
CHRIS FARRELL: Yes. So she was married twice. And her first husband was a farmer near Lakeville. And they had six children, and he died of cancer at age 47. 14 years later, she remarried. She and her husband had a driving range and mini golf business in Rosemont. And over the years, she's had a variety of jobs. Besides the munitions company, she worked at a jewelry store, a retail clothing store in a mall, and she was with Welcome Wagons for years. But to your question, yes, she has a large family, including many grandchildren.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: I have 12 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. And I have three great, great grandchildren.
NINA MOINI: Oh, my gosh. Three great, great grandchildren. So if I'm doing the math right, her family is a five generations strong right now. Did you ask her what she wanted younger generations to know about life? She's certainly seen a lot and done a lot.
CHRIS FARRELL: So you're not going to be surprised. I asked her that very question, and here's her response.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: I think they should be honest with people, and they should be nice to other people and just spend their lives being happy and nice.
NINA MOINI: That pretty much sums up what matters, doesn't it?
CHRIS FARREL It really does. Look, there's a lot of life in 99 years. Imagine commercial radio-- I mean, we're in the radio business-- commercial radio was only five years old when she was born, and it would be another two years before the first successful demonstration of television in San Francisco. So how's this for an understatement?
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: I have seen a lot of things that have been changed, and it's amazing how different it is now compared to what it was then.
CHRIS FARRELL: So she's lived through all these technological innovations, these economic booms and busts. I think I calculated, what, 16 presidnetial elections. But anyway. But that wasn't what we talked about. She kept the focus on family, friends, and shared memories.
NINA MOINI: That makes sense. Family is what matters to her.
CHRIS FARRELL: And you know, Nina, I think the longer you live, connections and memories about friends, family, former colleagues, people you're close to over the years, stand out. And much of the rest, kind of it falls by the wayside in importance. Years ago, I read Tuesdays with Morrie. It's a conversation with a professor. He was dying of ALS. And if you remember Cathy Wurzer series of interviews and writings with Bruce Kramer, the Saint Thomas professor who also died of ALS. And both Morrie and Bruce, they stressed the importance of love and meaningful relationships to the good life.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: Being near my children and grandchildren and not have them be living far away.
NINA MOINI: It sounds like Kathleen moved from Rosemont to Lakeville a few years ago to be closer to her children. And you said earlier that she lives now at a continuing care community in Lakeville. There are lots of opportunities in communities like this for people to stay socially connected, right?
CHRIS FARRELL: Right. And you can, staying active and staying socially well connected, I mean, it's just really well documented that it's good for your health. And she has her own apartment and she plays cards with her neighbors. And two of her daughters, Judy and Patsy, they were there during my visit.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: They stop often, and they bring me nice things a lot of times. And I appreciate that. They do a lot for me. Patty takes me to all my appointments, my doctor appointments. And I'm going to have surgery in two weeks. I'm going to have a hip replaced, and I'm 99 years old. And some doctors think that's too old. But my doctor said that I had the body of a 60-year-old.
NINA MOINI: Wow. Good for her. I hope that surgery goes well, Chris.
CHRIS FARRELL: Well, the news is the surgery went well yesterday.
NINA MOINI: Good.
CHRIS FARRELL: And while I was there, I asked Judy what she wanted people to know about her mom.
JUDY: She's very kind. She's been a very religious, spiritual woman. She's treats people like she wants to be treated.
PATSY: I think because she's so social and likes to be around people, she has a great sense of humor. And I think those things have carried her through some really difficult times in her life. She's had a lot of hard times and heartbreak in her life. So those things have carried her through. And her faith, of course.
NINA MOINI: Yeah just the resilience over that many years. Chris, her story is an important reminder how much society too often or maybe too easily underestimates the capacity of older people in their later years. Not all, of course, but many.
CHRIS FARRELL: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. And you know, difficult times. You lose two husbands. She lost two of her adult children. Thing is, she still has a sense of humor. So, Nina, how about a joke?
NINA MOINI: OK.
CHRIS FARRELL: All right. Toward the end of our conversation, Kathleen asked if I wanted to hear a joke. And of course, I said yes.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: Did you hear about the woman who is a very, very good housekeeper?
CHRIS FARRELL: No.
KATHLEEN TOUSIGNANT: Every time she gets divorced, she keeps the house. So she's a very good housekeeper.
[LAUGHTER]
NINA MOINI: We'll take notes on that. Thank you.
CHRIS FARRELL: Thanks a lot.
NINA MOINI: Thanks, Chris. Chris Farrell is MPR's senior economics contributor.
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