Sarah Lyman: Celebrating A Dayton Century

DAYTON - When dozens of wellwishers gathered to celebrate Sarah Lyman's birthday at Booker Rest Home in Dayton on Sunday, they came not only to honor this longtime Dayton resident's 100th birthday but to commemorate a century of Columbia County history.

"I've seen many times come and go, many changes in Dayton over the years," Lyman said as she took time to visit with every friend, family member and acquaintance who came to touch her shoulder, hold her hand and bless her during the two-hour long celebration in the rest home's dining hall.

"Sarah is a special, special woman," said Roslyn Edwards. " When we first moved here she became like an adopted mom to us."

Edwards moved to Dayton 17 years ago with her husband, Steve Edwards, late pastor at Dayton's First Congregational Church. Edwards passed away in November, and Lyman has been a "touchstone" for the Edwards family, Roslyn Edwards said.

Like Edwards, everyone at Sunday's party had a special story about Lyman, who was described by many as a unique, smart, kind and elegant "Rock of Gibraltar" with a fine sense of humor.

"She has gone through a lot in her life, but she just carries on," said longtime family friend and fellow Congregational Church member Dallas Dickinson. "She just loves life and knows so much about local history."

Like many at Sunday's celebration, Dickinson expressed how lucky the community has been to have such a bastion of local knowledge in town.

"She's definitely one of a kind," she said. "There's no one else who can remember back like that."

Lyman was born to the Woodward family in Dayton on Jan. 2, 1911. She attended school with her five older brothers in town, graduating from Dayton High School in 1929. The only time she ever spent away from Dayton was in the year after high school when she attended LaGrande Normal School.

She returned to Dayton and got a job downtown working in retail. She married her husband, Bill Lyman, in 1939. The couple had

(See "Sarah" on Page 6) two children, daughter Joannie and son Bill. Bill Senior passed away in 1992. Joannie lives in Walla Walla, and son Bill lives in Illinois and is a railway consultant.

For many years following her husband's death, Lyman continued to live on her own in town. She moved into a room at the Booker Rest Home this fall.

During Sunday's party, guests mingled, enjoyed live music, feasted on cake and other treats while taking in a long wall of posters created by Lyman's granddaughter Meg Lyman. The series of posters displayed mementoes from Lyman's 100 years of life, including photos of her family, the centenarian as a baby along with a photo copy of her birth certificate, Lyman in high school, as a young woman, her marriage certificate, and more recent events in the woman's life.

As visitors moved from left to right along the back wall, viewing a century of Dayton history, the photos moved from black and white to color, and guests were treated to tidbits of global history in the mix.

Lyman was 3 years old at the start of World War I. She was a young, married woman during World War II. She witnessed the moon landing, the spread of television and much growth in Columbia County.

"But she's very pleased that the people haven't changed much," said her son, Bill, who traveled to Dayton to celebrate the event. "Sure people have come and gone, but they're still the same friendly people she's always enjoyed here in town and the families she's been around her whole life."

Lyman is a fount of knowledge about Dayton history, she has been like a member of the family to many, many people in Columbia County over the years, but what son Bill has always admired most about his mother is her "effervescent attitude."

"She's been an optimist all her life," he said. "She's always enjoyed good humor, and that's just been an inspiration to all of us. She's worked hard, but she's always enjoyed herself and managed to keep the family in good spirits, too."