Auburn’s Ulrich enjoys rich, rewarding life at 100

Published 6:07 pm Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Katherine Ulrich contends there are no secrets to her longevity?

“If there were, then I wouldn’t tell you,” she said with a smile. “There really are no secrets. You just live each day, and I’ve lived a long time.”

Fit and sharp, the Auburn woman will turn 100 on Saturday. Family and friends will celebrate Ulrich’s milestone Sunday.

All of which is a big fuss but a big thing for an independent, creative woman who managed to drive her own car to her appointments as late as two years ago before suffering a stroke.

“They will have a party that won’t quit,” she said of her special birthday.

Born in Covington to Swiss immigrants, Ulrich grew up in Western Washington. She attended public schools, graduating from Snohomish High School in 1928. She attended business school briefly and worked in a law office for several years before marrying and raising a family.

Her late husband, Karl, was a longtime pastry chef. Together, they operated the Five Mile Lake Resort for years before King County bought it.

They moved to Auburn in 1967.

She enjoys family and friends, traveling, gardening, reading and cards games. She lives today with her daughter, Arlene, in Seattle and her son, Bob, in Corvallis, Ore. She has nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

As for living this long?

“I’m a bit surprised,” she said. “Not too many people get to be 100.”