Born during World War I, Bonnie Absheer Knowles of Poplar Bluff, Mo., celebrated her 100th birthday Sunday, July 23, with her friends and family and was honored with a proclamation from the City of Poplar Bluff presented by Mayor Ed DeGaris.
In the proclamation, DeGaris said Mrs. Knowles "has made the world a better place with her kindness, generosity and caring spirit."
Mrs. Knowles was born July 22, 1917, on the family farm in Wayne County near Piedmont, Mo. She graduated from the old Greenville High School in 1936, where she played on the girls' basketball team four years.
She married Master Sgt. Herman Knowles Dec. 3, 1943. She has a son, Rob; two grandchildren, Andy and Cassie, and six great-grandchildren. Her sister is former City Councilwoman Betty Absheer.
She worked for more than 30 years at the Belknap Drug Store and for seven years at Jim Hogg's Supermarket before retiring in 1982.
She is an a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan.
A longtime member of the First Church of God, she was very active in the Silver Links Sunday School Class and the Women of the Church of God.