| "I'm too young to be this darn old," the Vintage Place resident said with a laugh. She is celebrating her 100th birthday today with a reception from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at Vintage Place. Punch and cake will be served, and all friends and family are invited to stop by. That includes the hundreds of customers whose money she used to take at Harry's Cafe. She and her husband owned and operated the cafe for many years. Chancey said the restaurant started in 1937. "It was started by Harry Clements," she said. "It was part of a chain. They had eight restaurants in other places, like Kansas City and Ponca City, Okla., and Harry wanted to put a cafe in a college town." Clements eventually sold the cafe to the Chanceys. "We paid it off in five years," Chancey said. The restaurant thrived, and was especially popular for breakfast and lunch. Sunday breakfast at Harry's was a tradition for many. Harry's was also the first restaurant in Pittsburg to have air conditioning. Chancey's husband and son, Charles Chancey, cooked, and other family members helped out. "I never had anything to do with the food," Chancey said. "I was a hostess, and I took the money. I called all the customers by their first name - it made them feel more comfortable, and was more homey." Some of the customers really felt at home. "We had some people who ate with us three times a day," Chancey said. The family sold the cafe to Henry Farris in 1991. "Bobbie quit with us," said Jake Chancey, daughter-in-law. "Six months later they called her up and asked if she'd come back and work on weekends." Chancey was happy to go back, and continued working until she was 93. "I liked the people and didn't even mind the work," she said. "I didn't want to give it up. I didn't really get old, it's just that my body got tired." Chancey was born Mona Imogene Niswonger on Nov. 8, 1908 in Oklahoma. "It was the part of Oklahoma where they grow cotton," she said. "My mother used to make a sack for me out of a flour sack, and I'd put that over my shoulder and pick cotton. When the bag was full, I'd take it to the mill and get $3 for it." She got the nickname "Bobbie" in the 1920s, when she bobbed (cut) her hair. She and her late husband had three children. Son Charles Chancey is deceased. Daughter Bobbie Ann Oehme, Pittsburg, is a main caregiver for her mother, and youngest son Jerry Chancey lives in Florissant, Mo. Chancey has eight grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. She enjoys visits from family and friends and likes to watch the Weather Channel. She also loves to eat, and keeps plenty of snacks within easy reach. Her health is remarkable for someone reaching the century mark. "When I go to see Dr. Kathleen Sandness for a check-up, she tells me that whatever I'm doing, I should keep on doing it," Chancey said. |
