Happy 100th Birthday to Griswold's Hester Stimac

On Sunday it was my honor to present a legislative citation to Hester Stimac of Griswold in recognition of her 100 years in eastern Connecticut. Hester has witnessed a century of living and has been a valued member of our community throughout it all. What a pleasure it was to celebrate this remarkable milestone with her!

On March 30th, 1926, Hester (Benjamin) Stimac was born on the family farm in Preston City, Connecticut. Her parents were Everett and Minnie Benjamin. She is one of seven siblings (two sisters and five brothers). Growing up on the farm, Hester would collect eggs and sell them to locals in the town. Throughout her childhood, Hester attended Preston Congregational Church in Preston. In her early adulthood Hester worked at Griswold Rubber. After leaving Griswold Rubber, she began working at Thermos Corporation in Taftville. While working at Thermos, Hester was also working on the side cleaning houses. Hester took a great deal of pride in her work. Throughout her cleaning career, she cleaned for multiple clients including several supervisors from Electric Boat in Groton. Working as hard as she did, Hester was able to save enough money to build her own house in 1979. As a single mother this was a huge accomplishment. Hester has two children: Nicholas Stimac and Francis (Stimac) Hurst. She raised both of her children on her own while continuing to work as hard as she did. After retiring from Thermos, she continued cleaning until she was 88 years old. Throughout her senior years Hester frequently attends the Griswold Senior Center where she created bonds and friendships with others in her town. Throughout Hester's life, her drive and hard work to accomplish what she has, shows that age is just a number.

Happy 100th Birthday to you, Hester! I was so happy I got the chance to celebrate with you all!