Spirit of a Century: Thurston Couser
This is the latest installment in an occasional series, Spirit of a Century, profiling centenarians in Connecticut. We profile Thurston Couser, of Hartford.
Thurston Couser has no regrets. At 100, he is satisfied with his life and wouldn’t change a thing.
“If I had a second time to go around I’d want everything the same — same family, same job, and I’d still leave school at 15,” he said. “I had two weeks of high school and said ‘that’s enough.’”
Couser was born on Aug. 18, 1911, on a small farm in Walden, N.Y. His family moved around a lot during his early years, settling in Newburgh when he was 5. His dad worked in shipbuilding; his mom raised Couser and his older sister and younger brother.
He quit school against the advice of his father, who warned him, “Don’t do it. You’ll have to work common labor all your life like I have.”
Couser followed his heart and went to work in a carpet factory. After working a series of jobs, making about $9 a week, he ultimately landed a job for $20 a week working in a dye house, considered good money in those days.
When Couser was 18, he moved to Connecticut after an uncle who lived in Wethersfield told him about job openings at Pratt & Whitney. The Great Depression would soon follow.
He landed a job in the company’s gear department.
“I worked for chicken feed,” he said, “but at least I had a job.”
He entered a machinists apprenticeship program at Pratt & Whitney, and graduated six years later, eventually taking a position as a quality control inspector. He recalls being paid 40 cents an hour when he started, reduced to 30 cents an hour during the Depression. He held the job for 48 years until retiring in 1977.
While attending a Congregational Church in Newington, he met Cleora Stebbins. She had a boyfriend with a fancy car at the time, but Couser eventually won her over, marrying her in 1940. He bought a 1923 Overland touring car for $10 when gas was 12 1/2 cents a gallon. He could fill the tank for a dollar. He sold the car three years later for $15, making a $5 profit.
Nine years later, while Thurston and Cleora were living in a three-room apartment in Newington, their daughter, Lois, was born. In a few years, they had saved enough for a five-room home in the Elmwood section of West Hartford where they settled for 36 years.
The Cousers moved to Avery Heights in 1987. Cleora died of cancer in 2003.
With his daughter living in Florida and a grandson in the Boston area, Couser spends most of his time by himself in his three-room cottage at Avery Heights. He cooks his own meals and takes care of the place, and lives a peaceful, quiet life. He takes walks along the pathways that wind around the cottages at the Heights, sometimes stopping to chat with neighbors. He takes the bus to medical appointments and errands, using a walker. “My legs give out sometimes,” he said, “but at my age, that’s to be expected.”
Blessed with good health, Couser is grateful for his long life. Having a close-knit family has been the the most meaningful aspect of his life. “Family life and being close together is so important,” he said.
“I’m not afraid of dying,” he said. “It’s the only thing we can be sure of. I thank the Lord for each day and always pray for one more.”
