Helen Crowley Anstead remembers The 1918 Pandemic !

Helen Anstead, 106, our oldest known living Crowley, lived through the Spanish Flu of 1918

By The Associated Press March 27 2020

One remembers the polio epidemic and the hardships of World War II. One is stoic about it all — because, he says, he’s already “here past the welcome.” A third, old enough to remember the aftermath of the 1918 flu epidemic, turns to her faith in challenging times. For older Americans, some of the people most likely to be affected badly by the coronavirus pandemic, these unusual days and the social distancing that they bring are rippling out in varied and nuanced ways.

Mental health experts agree. Almost one in three older adults live alone, and many have chronic health problems. Those factors make them vulnerable to loneliness and depression; suicide rates among those aged 75 and older are among the highest in the nation. “Social isolation can be a risk for depression, physical illness, even mortality,” said Katherine Ramos, a Duke University specialist in aging and mental health. Now, she suggests, is a good time for older adults with internet access to take free online courses and make virtual visits to cultural attractions.

For those accustomed to being more active, being confined to home and reliant on others for groceries and basic needs can be disempowering, she said. Family members can help by involving relatives in conversations about health risks and need for social distancing. Helen Anstead, 106, isn’t fazed by the COVID-19 pandemic because, she says, she has pretty much seen it all. Anstead was 5 when influenza swept the planet in 1918.

“I just felt the fear that the elders had when they talked about it,” she said. The retired teacher lives by herself on a farm in rural northeast Michigan where her son raises beef cattle. COVID-19 hasn’t reached her county yet. Anstead mostly stays indoors, pays attention to the news but doesn’t worry about getting sick. Raised in a church-going family, she says she relies on her faith and watches Mass on TV every day. “When you’re isolated, you reach for spiritual help,” she said, “and it works for me.”

Helen is a cousin of our former Crowley Clan Taoiseach, Thomas R. Crowley of Ohio and Arizzona. Helen, who was 106 years young on August 9th, 2019 is our oldest known Crowley, ahead of our other centenarian, Matthew Crowley (who is 105 !). Helen was born and raised in the Ellwood City area, graduating from Lincoln High School in 1931 and returning there in 1937 to teach. She married in 1947 and has lived elsewhere since. Helen in the daughter of the late James and Margaret Crowley, and still has relatives living in Ellwood City.