Harriet Heppner, pictured above, still has an excellent memory for music and poetry at age 105. She is quick to recognize any church hymn or big band tune, and can recite her favorite poems by heart.

A person would not be wise to get into a ‘name that song’ contest with Harriet Heppner, not if the tunes were church hymns or big band numbers.

Say two or three words of a church hymn and Harriet will finish the first stanza before you know it.

True, many people can recite song lyrics. But, how many of them are 105 years old like Harriet?

“My late husband, Al, was a band teacher in Ceylon,” Harriet explains. “He loved music and I love music.”

Ironically, her husband’s teaching career put an end to Harriet’s teaching career.

“I was an English teacher,” Harriet says. “However, there was a rule against spouses teaching in the same school so I quit teaching and raised our children.”

Al, who died in 1993, and Harriet, had three children and raised their family in Delavan.

Richard, the oldest, now resides in California. Betsy, the middle child, lives in Colorado and the youngest, Tom, makes his home in Vermont.

“Mom drove her own car until she was 90 years old,” Betsy, who was back home visiting her mother, says. “She has macular degeneration.”

At age 105, Harriet still has goals.

“Right now, my goal is to make it to 106 next June,” she says with a chuckle. “I do miss being able to read.”

So, Betsy will read to her.

“She enjoys poetry,” Betsy shares. “Even when I am at my home in Colorado, I will call her and read to her.”

While singing and learning poetry may be at the top of Harriet’s list of things to do, she also loves flowers.

“All of the beautiful flowers around the outside of the house are because of Mom,” Betsy comments.

Born in Dwight, Illinois, Harriet came to Delavan when she was very young.

“I think I was three or four years old,” Harriet recalls. “Delavan has been a wonderful place to live.”

Though she has outlived most of her companions from her early years in the city, she has made friends with other people who now make their home in Delavan.

“Her neighbors look out for her and have been a big help in taking care of Mom,” Betsy comments.

Harriet was always active in the community.

“I was in a garden club, a book club and I did volunteer work at the radio station at one time,” Harriet remembers.

She was also active in her church, Faith Lutheran, which was located just a short walk away from Harriet’s house.

“I was in the Ladies’ Aid and Ladies Circle and I made quilts with a group of ladies,” Harriet says.

Since Delavan is a small town, Harriet could walk to any event or meeting if she wanted.

In fact, Harriet credits walking as being one of the reasons for her longevity. She mentions one friend in particular, Trudi Warren, who was her walking partner.

“Trudi lived out in the country and would meet Mom halfway,” Betsy explains. “They would go on their walk and then Trudi would walk Mom back home before going home herself. They would walk several times a week.”

Even though she is not able to go on walks like she used to, Harriet still strives to remain active.

“I still get up every morning and make my own breakfast,” she mentions. “I used to play piano.”

Her daughter confirms that her mother was indeed very active.

“She always liked to move at the speed of light,” Betsy comments. “Having to slow down may have been the hardest thing for Mom.”

Al loved music but when he returned from serving as a radio instructor during World War II, he gave up his job as a music instructor and took over running the bank in Delavan.

“Mom’s dad, Edward Hahn, was the banker in town,” Betsy explains. “He died and Dad stepped in to take his place.”

He may have given up teaching music, but together Al and Harriet enjoyed going to a concert or going dancing whenever they could. Al also directed the church choir.

“I don’t think we ever missed a single concert at the high school,” Harriet says. “We also traveled to Mankato to attend concerts.”

Harriet shares, one of the groups they enjoyed seeing was the Mankato Riverblenders, a barbershop chorus out of Mankato.

“We always enjoyed listening to their live performances,” Harriet notes.

And now, once a year, for the last 15 years, a little bit of barbershop music comes to Harriet.

“We hire a quartet from Mankato to come down and sing to Mom every Valentine’s Day,” Betsy explains. “It brightens her day.”

Harriet has had to deal with some health issues in her later years.

“She had lung cancer when she was 88 years old,” Betsy comments. “She was otherwise in great health and the doctors were able to perform surgery on her.”

Two or three years after her battle with lung cancer Harriet had a brain bleed which led to a stroke.

“Mom had to learn to walk again,” Betsy says.

Though Harriet may have long ago hung up her dancing shoes and no longer is on the dance floor moving to a polka, two-step or Foxtrot, she still enjoys listening to the music she enjoyed in her younger days.

“I do not care for much of the new music,” she remarks. “It is hard to find radio stations that play songs I like.”

But, just a couple notes from Betsy and Harriet will join in singing the Judy Garland song, “Put Your Arms Around Me Honey.”

And, even though she may no longer be able to read poetry, Harriet is quick to recite one of her favorite poems which was written by Alfred Joyce Kilmer.

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

“I still like life and it is good living in a small town,” Harriet concludes.