Awards given for oldest man, woman, couple on Monroe County Fair's Senior Citizens' Day

Jim Miller stood on stage before the assembled crowd at the Monroe County Fair entertainment tent with a voluble verve that only comes from years of experience at the microphone.

A self-deprecating wit and a flair for showmanship have served Miller well as master of ceremonies for the annual senior citizens' program that takes place every Wednesday of fair week. With 45 years under his belt, Miller knows how to work a crowd.

But even Miller was caught off guard by the moment when it came time to award trophies for Oldest Man, Oldest Woman, and longest married couple at the fair.

Miller paused mid-sentence to choke back the emotion as he remembered Erv Yoas, the man who had become something of a fair celebrity in recent years for winning oldest man five times. Erv died on his 109th birthday in March.

"Of course, we lost our oldest man this year," Miller started before pausing to step back and then continuing with a waver in his voice. "Him and my mother were first cousins, that's probably why I'm a little more into it. We'll miss him this year."

For years, Yoas shared the "oldest" honors with his sister-in-law Marion Yoas. She continued that tradition without him Wednesday, winning the award as the oldest woman at the fair for the ninth time. She turns 108 next month.

Miller started by asking any woman who was 80 or older to raise their hands and a handful of fairgoers under the cool shade of the tent obliged. The hands quickly faded from view as Miller continued to count, "85 or older? 90 or older?"

Only one hand remained, but Miller kept up the proceedings. "95 or older? 100 or over? 105? 6? 7?"

"If you're gonna be 108 next month, raise your hand. Marion Yoas, congratulations," Miller said. "We just want to offer our congratulations to her for being with us and we look forward to seeing her here again next year."

Yoas is a Newport resident and a former Farm Bureau member and concession worker at the fair. Her granddaughter, Sue Pitock, accompanied her to the fair.

"It was hard today not having him (Erv) here with her," Pitock said. "But we love that she's still here, and she loves coming out here. … It's like habit all these years. It's been amazing."

Yoas plans to return next year for her 10th trophy.

"Uncle Erv said I was going to live to 110. He told me that just before he died," Yoas said. "I worked 40 years for the Farm Bureau getting breakfast. Eventually I told them they had to get somebody else. At 80, I quit."

The award for oldest man was given to Robert Keinath, of Dundee, who is 101.

Both Keinath and Eugene Poupard, of Monroe, kept their hands in the air as Miller counted over 100. Both put their hands down at 102. Miller asked each their birthdays to determine a winner. Keinath turns 102 on Sept. 24.

It was the first award for Keinath, who always comes to the fair, but rarely on Senior Citizens' Day. He was accompanied by his son, John Keinath.

"I guess I'm getting old," Keinath said of winning his award. "I'll take this home and put it with the rest of them, I guess. … (Those trophies) have nothing to do with age."

Longest married couple was given to Rollin and Mary Webb of Newport.

The Webbs have been married since 1955. They celebrated their 68th anniversary on June 18.

Mary is a former chairwoman of the Monroe County Planning Commission and longtime member of the Monroe County Farm Bureau. She managed the bureau's food concession at the fair for 10 years. Rollin is a former county drain commissioner and fair board member.

The couple did not expect to win their award. In fact, they didn't even know the award would be presented when they arrived at the tent to rest while their four sons and grandchildren enjoyed other festivities across the fairgrounds.

"We just happened to stop," Mary said. "We heard the music so we walked over here and sat down."

So what is the secret to such a long marriage?

"There really isn't a secret," Mary said. "Eventually you just learn that you can agree and you can disagree. You can get upset but always be sure to calm down. And we always do."

The program Wednesday started with the presentation of three Meritorious Service Awards.

"It's probably the easiest thing in the world because we have so many people that deserve it," Miller said. "But that's the hard part. There's so many people that deserve it and we can't, or we won't, give it to everyone all at once. It's usually two or three per year."

Fair manager Darryl Diamond presented the first award to Rick Becker. Becker was elected to the Monroe County Fair Board in 2004 and also serves as the president of Stoneco and Michigan Paving. Diamond thanked Becker for donating time and equipment to help set up for events in the grandstand during fair week.

"We are truly appreciative of the efforts given by the whole Stoneco team," Diamond said.

Fair board member Annette Heck presented the second award to Inga Costello. The Newport native and former Airport teacher works as the superintendent of the domestic arts building during the fair. She organizes the arrangement and judging of all displays and lines up volunteers to help with the weeklong process.

"She does a good job with all that this involves," Heck said. "When you walk through the building, you're amazed with all the fine work people have done and you don't realize all that goes into it before and after the fair. … It takes a lot of coordination to make this all happen smoothly."

The final award was presented by board member Barbara Siebarth to fair board president Phil Motylinski, who accepted his award with surprise and maybe a touch of indignation. Motylinski has been involved with the fair since he was a kid and was first elected to the board in 2014.

"He is also a member of the buildings and grounds committee and chairs the LED lighting improvements on the grounds," Siebarth said. "He's done a great job."

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Awards given for oldest man, woman, couple at Monroe County Fair