When Laverna Riddle was born on March 5, 1922, Warren G. Harding was President, radio stations across the U.S. began transmissions and Americans were celebrating the first part of the Roaring Twenties as the country was experiencing economic growth and optimism.

On March 5, 2026, the Jonesburg resident celebrated her 104th birthday with family members, including her daughter, JoAnn Farmer. She was just excited that she got to spend a peaceful birthday.

“I really don’t celebrate birthdays that much,” Riddle said. “I just like to have the family around. That’s about it for me. These days, I like it nice and quiet.”

Four years ago, Riddle celebrated her 100th birthday with a large group of family members at a party that was held at the Warehouse Bar and Grill. There is a picture with Riddle and her large family hanging on the wall in her living room.

“So many of them were great-grandkids,” Riddle said. “They brought along their significant others. So it fills up the picture.”

Throughout her 104 years, Riddle lived through the Great Depression, World War II, the 9/11 attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Neighbor Sharon Sanker said one of the best things about Riddle is she has a great photographic memory.

“She remembers things that I don’t remember,” she said.

Riddle said she thinks staying away from cigarettes played a key role in living a long life.

“I never smoked,” she said. “When I was younger, I didn’t have the money to buy cigarettes. So I didn’t learn to smoke. I think that saved me a little bit.”

Listening to Harry Potter audio CDs is one of Riddle’s favorite activities.

“I used to always read,” Riddle said. “Reading was my thing. That’s gone now. I used to like crossword puzzles, but all of that was taken away.”

Riddle, whose maiden name is Hollenberg, grew up in Bridgeton. She was the middle child of three girls. After graduating from Ritenour High School in 1940, Riddle was a Rosie the Riveter, an icon that represented the women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II. She worked at the Curtiss-Wright Aeroplane Factory in St. Louis and at an aircraft in San Diego, Calif.

Riddle, who also worked as a secretary at the Boise Cascade company for 16 years before retiring, said she enjoyed her stay in California during the 1940s.

“I sort of invited myself along with a girlfriend,” Riddle said. “She and her boyfriend were in the Navy and they decided they wanted to get married. She was going to go out there and spend a couple of weeks there. I thought that would be a nice vacation. We were really good friends and she wanted me to come.”

Riddle’s husband, Bobby, who passed away in 2001, was a Chinese Marine. He worked at McDonnell Douglas for years.

“When I worked at the aircraft in San Diego, I worked with his sister,” Riddle said. “She and I became really good friends. That’s how I met him.”

Riddle has been living in Jonesburg since the late 1990s. She said she likes the small-town atmosphere.

“It’s so nice and quiet,” Riddle said. “When we were in Bridgeton, there were always airplanes flying over. When I came out here, it seemed so nice. There weren’t all of those planes that were making all of the noise.”

Riddle raised four children with her husband. Two of them – daughter Patricia and son Greg – have passed away. Son Michael lives in Idaho. Farmer has been living with her mother for five years.

“Mom is very easy to take care of,” Farmer said. “She’s very upbeat. Sometimes, when you get older, you get crabby and cranky, but mom is not. She was a wonderful mother. She kept us all out of trouble.”

Anyone who wants to send a birthday card to Riddle can mail it to Laverna Riddle, 404 South Gladstone Avenue, Jonesburg, MO 63351.