By Jackie Gorski
Times-Union
WARSAW — Mary Lou Laurino will celebrate her 100th birthday today.
Laurino was born Dec. 12, 1924, in Logansport. She was adopted when she was 2 by Bill and Gladys Fisher of Akron. She described growing up in Akron as nice.
She graduated from Akron High School in 1942. Laurino was in the Glee Club while in high school, her daughter Toni Wilson said.
When the school was demolished, Margaret, a friend of Laurino’s for 80 years, made sure she, Laurino and two other close friends got commemorative bricks from the building.
Laurino said her first job was at 16 and she worked the popcorn machine at a movie theater in Akron and would sometimes usher people into the theater.
Granddaughter Teresa Chupp shared some of Laurino’s memories growing up from a memory book that was put together. In it, it stated when Laurino was growing up in Akron, an Indian chief would stay with her family when he came through the area.
She married twice, but both marriages ended in divorce.
She moved to California to raise her children with her first husband Robert Lockey for several years before moving to Warsaw for a period of time. In California, Wilson said Laurino worked as a barmaid for several years, as well as a couple of other places. She also worked at Reed’s Candy in Chicago at one point in time.
Wilson said her mother would work very hard as a single mother to support the children she had at that time and did the best she could. Also, Laurino would take her children to the theater every Friday, whether she could afford it or not.
In 1977, she met her life partner of 40 years, Sam Bichers, who died in 2017. Some of the memories Laurino shared of Bichers were they used to go fishing a lot when they lived in Kentucky together.
Chupp said Bichers was a great entertainer.
Laurino said Bichers wanted to make sure she saw some sights while she was alive, so they went to places like Niagara Falls and on a 14-day cruise to the Bahamas. She said she probably wouldn’t have gone to the places they went to if he hadn’t taken her.
Wilson said Bichers took care of her mother. Bichers and Laurino moved back to Warsaw in 2007.
Laurino also shared some of the political memories she had. She said the first president she voted for was Calvin Coolidge. She remembers when President John F. Kennedy died.
Laurino said she plays euchre, which her father taught her how to play. Chupp said she also loves shopping and doing adult coloring.
When asked what her secret was to living to 100, Laurino said she thought it was due to her always being ornery.
Laurino has a total of six children, 33 grandchildren, 56 great-grandchildren and 15 great-great-grandchildren.
Laurino’s family is holding a party for her on Friday.
