Woman celebrating 106th birthday reminisces about her love of dancing

MANDAN, N.D. (KFYR/Gray News) – While more and more people are living to be 100 years old, Maxie Helbling is defying statistics, celebrating her 106th birthday last week.

Music flows easily from Helbling’s lips. Her favorite songs take her back in time and tell the story of her life.

Born Nov. 8, 1917, Helbling has lived in North Dakota her entire life. One of 10 kids, the soundtrack of her life began on a farm south of Mandan.

Her childhood was filled with hard work, church, music and dancing, like waltzes and polkas.

“I milked cows and fed chickens,” she recalled.

Her favorite dance partner was her husband, Stanley.

“They danced for many years, since I was a little girl,” her daughter, Mary Jane Griffith said.

The couple was married for nearly 75 years.

“He held my hand because he wanted to be where I was,” she said.

Stanley died in 2012 -- he was 96.

Helbling just turned 106, and while she can no longer see, she’s still singing her way through life.

Visits with her daughter are a highlight these days.

“She means the world to me,” said Griffith.

Just as the melodies of her favorite songs make her smile, so too do moments like these — moments her daughter knows she’s lucky to have.

Helbling said she isn’t so sure she knows the secret to living so long, but her daughter has some ideas.

She credits good genes and a good, clean lifestyle, with lots of homegrown food and lots of dancing.

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