106 and counting

It’s unreal.
That’s how Dick Emmons describes the life of his mother, Renata Emmons, who just celebrated her 106th birthday on Nov. 29. She is believed to be the oldest living resident in Steele County. She resides at Medford Senior Care where she has lived for the past six years.
Renata Emmons has a few years to go yet, however, before taking on the distinction of being Minnesota’s oldest resident. The oldest person is Erna Zahn of New Ulm. She turned 113 in April, making her the 10th oldest person in the U.S. and 30th oldest in the world.
Despite being on hospice for the past year after falling, Renata Emmons is still hanging on. Dick Emmons said she sits in a wheelchair all day and her core upper body has pretty much deteriorated. Her speech is mostly garbled, making it impossible for her to conduct an interview about her major milestone.
“She is a tough, old bird,” Dick Emmons said. “She can’t communicate much any more. For me, it’s sad to see the state she is in, but she’s hanging on.”
Asked what she thinks about her age, Dick Emmons said: “She just shakes her head. I think she is just amazed she is still going.”
Dick Emmons said he has told his mother that he never wants to live to be that old. Her response? “She just looks at me and puts her hands up,” he said.
He didn’t hesitate at all in identifying what he attributes his mother’s longevity to. “Religion is the key to living that long,” Dick Emmons said. “She always faithfully read her bible until she couldn’t read any more,” he said, adding that only happened about a year ago.    
Renata Emmons is a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Owatonna. “She always sat to the front until she went into the nursing home,” Dick Emmons said.
The centurion was born on Nov. 29, 1915 in Crown, Minn. Her parents were German immigrants. She was the oldest of eight and is the only surviving sibling.
After graduating from high school, she went to the Eitel School of Nursing in Minneapolis where she received her degree as a registered nurse. She worked at the Anoka hospital from 1938 to 1960. From 1960 to 1972, the family lived in northeast Iowa where Renata Emmons worked at St. Josephs Hospital in New Hampton.
During this time, she raised four boys. The two oldest have since died. Dick Emmons, 72, lives in Owatonna while his brother Dean Emmons, 71, resides in Charlotte, N.C.
In 1967, Renata Emmons’ husband died at the age of 57. She moved back to the Anoka area in 1972.
Renata Emmons moved to Steele County in 1981 when Dick Emmons had a job transfer to Owatonna. She helped him take care of his young children as he was a single parent at the time.
In 1984, Renata Emmons went to work at Walmart in Owatonna. For many years she was a door greeter before going to the changing rooms and answering phones.
“She wanted to get back in the public. She wanted contact with people,” Dick Emmons said, noting she worked up to 35 hours per week. “It was perfect for her.”
Dick Emmons said he took away his mother’s driver’s license in her late 80s when “she put diesel fuel in the car.”
But not having a car didn’t keep her from working. She continued at Walmart by riding the SCAT bus for about a decade until 2014 when she was 99 years old. “Believe it or not, she was the second oldest Walmart employee at the time she retired,” Dick Emmons said. “Trust me, I’m not going to work until I’m 99,” he added with a chuckle.
Renata Emmons has experienced a couple health scares over the years. She had by-pass surgery twice in the 1990s and a pacemaker was added for her heart. She has also had both knees replaced. “That’s enough. She has been through so much and she is still here,” Dick Emmons said, adding he will always admire his mother’s strong work ethic and will to survive.
For the record, Renata Emmons’ family currently spans six generations. She has four children (two deceased), 17 grandchildren, 48 great grandchildren, 4 great, great grandchildren and a great, great, great grandchild.
Because of COVID restrictions, the family was able to celebrate with only a small gathering for Renata’s 106th birthday. A cake was shared with other residents and staff members.
And Renata Emmons is apparently losing count with her age.
“I think she understood the celebration, but not the number,” Dick Emmons said. “She wasn’t understanding she had one more notch in the belt. She thought it was 105. She shook her head and told me no.”