During Jean Staten’s 100 years on this planet, she’s witnessed some great and terrible things. A world war, the moon landing, The Great Depression, the creation of the internet, medical advancements and a host of other experiences, big and small. 

Staten has lived each of those 100 years in Millcreek, wandering her grandfather’s farm, making dolls from hollyhock flowers and raising a family after World War II. She looks back on those years with fondness, at a life well-lived. 

Jean Staten graduated from Granite High School in 1944. She’s lived in Millcreek all her life and celebrates her 100th birthday this month. (Photo courtesy of Jean Staten)

Born Jan. 9, 1926, to Harold and Nellie Debenham, Staten lived across the street from Sherman Elementary at 3300 S. 2300 East, where she attended school through sixth grade. She then went to Irving Junior High (now Olympus Jr. High) and Granite High School, where she graduated in 1944. 

It was at GHS, in a drama class, that she met her future husband, Verl Staten. After graduation, Verl enrolled in the U.S. Navy and served for two years. The couple had a long-distance relationship where they corresponded throughout his service and were married in 1946, the autumn after he was discharged. They raised four children together.  

“We stayed in Millcreek because our lifestyle was here and we loved our little community. [Verl’s] job was here and my job was here, so we stayed in our little community,” Staten said. “Everybody was like a family. We were all LDS and you knew the whole neighborhood.”

Staten’s life was shaped by The Great Depression. From the time she was born until she married, her family faced a life of poverty and struggle. Although her father was a master gardener, he was often out of work. 

Staten remembers when her father bartered gardening services with a dentist so she could get some dental work done. She recalls a time when household electricity was generated through the use of a bicycle tire and a nearby creek, with the power turned on every morning at 10 and shut off at night.

Because of their financial situation, Staten never took dance lessons or music lessons, but she enjoyed roller skating with her friends through the Baldwin Radio Factory (3474 S. 2300 East). 

“I remember being outside a lot, as a child,” she said. “In summer, it was windy and in the winter, the snow came down from the mountain. It was really cold, with a lot of snow drifts. It was a calm place to live and the people were all here together. It was a close community.”

One of her favorite memories was following the exploits of Princess Alice, the escapist elephant that resided at the Liberty Park Zoo.

“She would get out and wander all over,” Staten said. “Once she came wandering up Woodland Avenue and broke down the side of the gymnasium at the Wilford Ward church.”

Staten earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah and a master’s degree from Brigham Young University. She taught kindergarten and first grade for the Jordan School District for 17 years while her husband worked for Mountain Fuel Supply Company. They both retired at 55 so they could travel the world.

Among their favorite trips, the couple took a 21-day cruise to China and spent time doing family history research in England. 

“We had a little motor home at first,” she said. “We went all up the East Coast into Prince Edward Island and back down. We flew to Australia and New Zealand and drove up to Nome, Alaska, for Verl’s birthday, where we watched a baseball game and ate lobster.”

Staten’s daughter, Debbie Redden, said her mother has been an incredible example of fortitude, strength and resilience. 

“She was very hard-working, very determined,” Redden said. “She made up her mind to go back to school and my dad didn’t like that at all. But I remember being in kindergarten and we would do our homework together at this table we’re sitting at today. If she set her mind to accomplish something, she did.”

Over the last century, the Millcreek area has changed from a tight-knit farming community to a city with a population of more than 63,000. Staten’s family strawberry patch is now Evergreen Park, businesses have come and gone, and she recently sold property that’s been in her family since 1863. The site of her original childhood home is the location for Provisions and Dough Lady.

Staten’s husband passed away eight years ago at the age of 92. She currently lives in the Mountair Acres Subdivision Historic District, where she enjoys seeing her nine grandchildren, 31 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandkids. Staten credits her longevity to a healthy lifestyle (no smoking or alcohol) and a strong peer group. 

For decades, she and her husband stayed close to their GHS classmates, celebrating holidays and big life events. Staten loved to garden, sew, read and write, but those activities were curtailed when she lost her sight six years ago. She keeps busy managing rental properties and looks forward to time with loved ones. 

Her family is hosting a 100th birthday celebration for her on Sunday, Jan. 11, from 1-3:30 p.m. at Millcreek City Hall (1330 E. Chambers Ave.). 

“What a legacy,” Redden said. “I’m amazed. She’s been a mother; she ran a nursery school at our home before she became a teacher. She was involved in scouting and was the camp director for the girls. She’s been wonderful and was a big example for me. She’s been such a good mom.”