Worland resident celebrates 100th birthday

WORLAND – A Worland resident, who has been active in many aspects of the community, celebrates her 100th birthday today. On September 6, 1917 Dolores Arps was born to Joseph and Magdalena Liekhus Dirkschneider in Dodge, Nebraska. She is the second oldest of nine children.

"I had five sisters and three brothers and lost a little brother at 11 months old. But they are all gone except one sister. Madeline is still living," Arps said. "All my friends are gone and a lot of them that are 20 years younger are gone also," she added.

One week after marrying her husband, Leonard Arps, in 1940, the couple moved to Worland on the Fourth of July. Jobs were scarce in Nebraska at the time and the couple came to Worland in search of work. "In Nebraska, there was a severe depression because of the drought and the Depression and for six years there wasn't a crop so there wasn't work. My husband had come here the fall before and worked at the sugar factory and so we came here because there was work and this part of the country wasn't feeling the recession like they were in eastern Nebraska. I mean it was rough there," Arps said. "He went to work for the Wyoming Gas Company and then in the fall he went to work for the sugar company at the start of the campaign," she added.

"I love Wyoming, from the day I came here I loved Wyoming and I didn't want to go back to Nebraska. My husband kind of wanted to go back to Nebraska but I always talked him out of it. People think that we have a harsh climate here, but we don't. We have a beautiful climate, we are really blessed here and not only that the people are nice, everybody is like a big, happy family," Arps said.

There were only about 1,500 people in Worland when Arps arrived and the sugar factory was the main industry in the area. Arps and her daughter Sharon Smith explained that over the years the town would either be in a boom or in a bust. "When the sulfur plant came in, it boomed and when the oil came in it boomed. That was in the '50s and in the later '50s it fell apart. It's boom or bust all the time and I hope we are not in bust [now]."

Arps worked one season at the sugar factory during World War II, and then her and her husband went into business for themselves. Leonard Arps taking care of Arps Heating and Plumbing and Dolores Arps taking care of the East Drive-In liquor store which was located where Habaneros is today. Arps ran the liquor store for 25 years. Smith stated that her mother worked hard during those 25 years because the liquor store was a seven days a week, late into the night business.

Over the years Arps was very active in many different ways in the community. She was and still is very active in the St Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, teaching catechism for 25 years. The church is having a special mass and open house today at 5 p.m. in her honor.

Arps stated that she was very active in Democratic politics and was the county chairman for a number of years and then the state vice chairman. She stated that she was also appointed to many commissions and boards in the 1970s. "I was on the Wyoming Travel Commission and on the Energy Board and I was on the Western States Advisory Board and on the Small Business Board for several years. All these appointments were from McGee, Senator [Gale] McGee," she said.

Arps who is passionate about the arts and has supported the arts her entire life was also instrumental in getting the pioneer woman sculpture put in the park [Pioneer Square]. Smith stated, "The artist was a personal friend and she was concerned that only the men were being honored and they weren't the only pioneers, so she sold many small statues and various things to get it paid for. That was in probably 1994 or so."

Four children were born to Leonard (who passed away in 1989) and Dolores Arps, two boys and two girls. Arps stated that of her four children Dan Arps (74) and Smith (76) survived, the other two passed away not long after birth. "David was three hours old and Linda was three days old," Arps said. She said that her two children live in Worland and are both retired, that three of her grandchildren live in Wyoming, one lives in Colorado and one in South Dakota and all of her grandchildren are getting close to 50. She also stated that she has 10 great-grandchildren with the oldest being 11. "I have six great-grandsons and four great-granddaughters," she said.

Arps keeps busy taking care of herself, her home and her family. "We have a wonderful family, we all get together on holidays and we all get together at the cabin [in the mountains] and have a great time. It's a cabin full but we have a good time," she said.

When asked what the secret was to her longevity Arps and Smith said, "I think it's a special gift from God. I won't take any credit for it. She has also worked very hard her whole life, so she has never taken it easy, I think that that is part of it and still doesn't. I have always lived a good life, never smoked."