Boonsboro-area resident to turn 100 Sept. 8, family welcomes birthday cards
Longtime Mapleville resident Verle Slifer will reach 100 years of age on Sept. 8.
Friends and extended family are encouraged to honor her on her 100th birthday by sending cards and letters to her at Fahrney Keedy Home, Room 224, 8507 Mapleville Road, Boonsboro, MD 21713.
Verle was born Verle Virginia Gross on Sept. 8, 1923, in the village of Mapleville. Her parents were Elmer Theodore and Blanche (Cunningham) Gross.
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Elmer Gross returned in 1919, having survived service in France with the U.S. Army, American Expeditionary Force, during the Great War (World War I). Upon his return, he married Blanch Cunningham, and in 1920 was appointed the postmaster of the Mapleville Post Office.
He also farmed property in Mapleville and ran the Mapleville general store.
Verle was born at home and was an only child.
In those days, a spur of the Blue Ridge Trolly serving Washington County between Hagerstown and Frederick still ran through the street outside their home.
The village phone was located in the general store, and horses or mules were still used to cultivate crops.Verle attended primary school in Mapleville within easy walking distance from her home, then went to Boonsboro High school, where she played the glockenspiel (bells) in the band.
When she was still in high school, Verle met her future husband, John Luther Slifer of Rohrersville.Verle and John both played in the Rohrersville Band.
After high school, Verle attended Hagerstown Business College and dated John who was employed as a payroll clerk for the Western Maryland Railroad.
Starting a family
Verle and “Johnny," as she always referred to him, were married in 1944 during World War II.
Their first child, Larry, was born in 1945. Soon followed a daughter, Janet, in 1948.
They settled into small-town life in Mapleville with their new family.
Verle and John experienced the tragic loss of little Janet at 4 years of age, when she was struck by a car on the Mapleville Road near the general store and post office.
Verle and John attended church regularly and with the support of their pastor, parents, extended family and friends, they carried on life with their son, Larry.
Soon their family grew with the birth of three more sons, David in 1954, Michael in 1955 and Keith in 1957.Verle was a stay-at-home mom during the boys' early childhood.
In those days, being a stay-at-home mother involved caring for the children, cooking, cleaning and washing lots of clothes and cloth diapers in a ringer washing machine, hanging them out to line dry and later ironing most of them.
When the boys were older, Verle learned to drive a car and began working in food preparation and service at Boonsboro High School.
The family was busy with school, church, Boy Scouts and other community activities.
After the children are grown
When the boys grew up and left home to pursue their own careers and families, Verle continued to work at the school cafeteria.
John retired from Western Maryland Railroad in the 1970s. He unexpectedly died at age 60 in 1978.
Left a widow at the age of 54, Verle never had interest in re-marriage and carried on with her family life, cafeteria work, church attendance and community activities.
Verle attended the Mt. Nebo and Benevola Methodist churches. In the past, she was an active church choir member, pianist, organist and Sunday school teacher.
She also was active with food preparation for church fundraising festivals.
Her favorite pastime was crocheting — making afghans, tablecloths, bedspreads and baby clothes for family and friends.
In the years after she became a widow, Verle stayed socially active through her work in food service, hosting family gatherings, babysitting grandchildren, attending church, playing the organ, playing bingo and going out for meals with friends.
When she served on a jury, she became lifelong friends with others who served with her.
Verle is well-known for her outreach to others by always sending greeting cards for birthdays and holidays. She maintained this practice into the 2020s.
She also is known as a consummate hugger. If she knew you, she hugged you.
She was always outgoing and would regularly strike up conversations with everyday folks she encountered.
Sustained by the love of her sons and the support of many friends from church and the community, Verle has lived for many years as a beloved mother and grandmother.
Verle retired from her food service work with Washington County schools in 1984. Since then, she has continued as a beloved church member, mother, grandmother and family matriarch.
She has four sons and four grandchildren. She has nine great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter.
Verle lived for several years in Port St. Lucie, Fla., with her son, Michael, where she loved the weather and spent most of her days outdoors doing word search puzzles and enjoying nature.
In the evenings, she enjoyed game shows and the TV series "Full House."
In 2021, Verle returned to Mapleville and now resides at Fahrney Keedy nursing home.
She loves seeing her sons and spending time sitting outdoors when the weather permits.
She enjoys a life of peace, quiet and rest at Fahrney Keedy, back home in the village where her life began and where she has lived a long, honorable, humble life filled with love, service and friendship.
She is admired for her steadfast faith in God, gratitude for her many blessings, interpersonal constancy, feisty sense of humor and unconditional love for her family.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Mapleville, Md. lady turns 100 Sept. 8, family welcomes birthday cards
