ATTICA - Patrons strolling through the merchants' building during the Seneca County Fair may have met Clarence Bayer handing out pocket Bibles at the Gideon Bible Society booth. His presence there doesn't seem so remarkable without knowing Bayer is about to turn 100 years old.
He was born to Edward and Rilla Bayer Aug. 29, 1910, on the family farm in Seneca County. He had three siblings, but only one is still living.
"I was born about two miles out on 224, west from Attica," Bayer said. "My first eight grades I went to the little school house that's sitting out here on the (Seneca East) school grounds right now ... Then I went to Attica High."
Born with poor eyesight, Bayer could not qualify for the military. He and Lucille Shepherd were married May 4, 1937. They had three sons, Gordon, Wade and Neil, and a daughter, Betty Dillinger, who all live in the Attica/Bloomville area. The family also includes nine grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.
"He's had a very healthy life," Dillinger said.
Bayer said he has been a member of Farm Bureau since 1924 and worked on his family's dairy farm until 1966. Next, he went to work at National Machinery in Tiffin, retiring from there after 17 years of employment in the machine assembly department.
"My job was to develop and finish the key-fitting business. They used to fit keys back in those days, which they don't do any more. I was a key fitter and a bearing fitter," Bayer said.
In his youth, Bayer and his family attended the United Brethren Church at Union Pisgah. Over time, the church changed to the Evangelical United Brethren and now to United Methodist Church. He served as a Sunday school teacher and song leader for many years.
"Forever," Dillinger said.
Lucille passed away after 65 years of marriage to Clarence.
June 22, 2003, Bayer married for the second time. His bride, Violet Gurney, now age 101, had lost her husband in 1980. She has a son and a daughter, nine grandchildren and more than 12 great-grandchildren.
"She and her first husband went to the same church we did, so I knew her for a long time," Bayer said.
Gurney said she grew up in Willard and attended a rural school for grades 1-8. Gurney said she was only 17 when she was asked to teach all eight grades in her own school. At the time, teachers only needed one year of training. Her duties included bringing in wood for the stove and carrying water from the neighbors. She said some of the male students were bigger than she was, but she only gave one paddling in the six years she taught.
"We had a bucket of water in the school, and we used that water to wash our hands and also to get our drinks. This little girl had washed her hands in the basin, and she came out with the basin of water. One of our little boys went like that up under that basin and threw that water all over her. So he was the one that got the paddling," Gurney explained.
At the start of her sixth year, she married George Gurney. When her children started school, Gurney returned to the classroom, teaching first grade in Attica for 23 years. She also taught Sunday school. She remains a member and treasurer for United Methodist Women and an honorary member of the retired teachers association.
Bayer moved into Gurney's home in Attica after the wedding. The couple does not drive, but family members provide transportation when needed. Except for severe arthritis, Gurney also is quite healthy for her age. She does crochet work and can read without her glasses. She reads to her husband from the Bible.
"We always have morning devotions, right after breakfast," Gurney said. "I say we have three things to be thankful for. We do our own cleaning, our own laundry and our own cooking. Of course, we like it if somebody comes and takes us out to eat."
After a lifetime of hard work, Bayer now enjoys assembling jigsaw puzzles, especially those with rural scenes. He buys most of the puzzles, but a few are gifts. Such activities are a contrast to his earlier years when even going to the county fair was a luxury.
"When I was a young fellow and still lived at home, we had too much to do. I didn't go to the fair except for a little bit. We didn't have time for that. We had work to do. Work, work, work," Bayer said. "I did have a major back operation that put me out of commission for about a year. The rest of the time, I worked whenever I was able. I never hated work."
For his 100th birthday, Bayer's family is having an open house 2-4 p.m. Aug. 29 at the home of Wade Bayer, 8119 S. SR 19, three miles south of Bloomville. Cards can be sent to Clarence Bayer at his home, 5274 S. SR 4, Attica, OH 44807.
