tulelake resident Nelle Takacs turns 108 011415

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Pelican Pointe resident turns 108: ‘I just take things as they come,’ says Nelle Takacs

By NORA AVERY-PAGE, Herald and News 1/14/15

H&N photo by Dave Martinez

Longtime Basin resident Nelle Takacs celebrated her 108th birthday Tuesday at the Pelican Pointe Memory Care

“I don’t know how many more I’m going to have,” Nelle said when asked how she felt about reaching the landmark age. “I think I feel alright.” Nelle, who was dressed in a sequined shirt and sparkling beaded jacket, lives at the Pelican Pointe Memory Care Unit. “Got my sparkles on,” Nelle said. Despite her age, she’s healthy, said medication aide Diane Astley. Nelle can still stand and walk around by herself, although she mostly uses a wheelchair for her own safety, Astley said. “I don’t ever plan, I just take things as they come,” Nelle said. “The more I take, the more I get.”

Nelle is the oldest resident at Pelican Pointe, and Astley guessed that she may be the oldest person in the county, if not the state.

Nelle was born Jan. 13, 1907, in Heartland, Wash., where her parents, Robert and Fannie Mae Cheyne, grew wheat, according to a previous Herald and News story by regional editor Lee Juillerat. She’s been profiled more than a few times by the newspaper.

The family, including Nelle’s eight brothers and three sisters, moved to Klamath Falls just three years later in 1910. Nelle’s father and uncles traveled the region with a steam threshing machine, and the family raised grain, hay and potatoes.

Nelle married Johnnie Takacs on Oct. 1, 1927, after meeting him at a dance in Malin. The couple moved to Tulelake a few years later, where they farmed land near the Oregon-California border. They had three children.

Takacs

Now, Nelle’s favorite thing to do is talk about her past.

“She loves to talk, that’s her favorite thing to do is sit and talk,” said Astley and fellow medication aide Keara Shuey. Nelle doesn’t like to watch much television, but would rather share her stories, Astley added.

On Tuesday, Nelle was particularly talkative about her parents, especially her mother.

“She was a great lady,” Nelle said. “She was just a quiet, good person. She had enough kids to drive anybody crazy.” Nelle has a sweet tooth, too: she told stories about making cookies at home, and her face lit up looking at the floral decorated birthday cakes in front of her.

“Oh my Lord, suppose I could eat it?” Nelle said when Astley held one of the two cakes, with “Happy Birthday Nelle” inscribed in icing, in front of her. “Well isn’t that nice.”

Nelle loves her coffee every morning, and other sweet treats like chocolate and cookies.

Nelle took note of the colorful balloons floating above her for her birthday celebration, too.

“We never had these when we were kids,” she said. “They’re nice.” With family visiting later in the morning, Nelle knew she had a long day ahead of her. “I’ll get some naps,” she said.

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