A former Oak Harbor resident turns 100 today.

Maxine (Wade) Hansen was born in Oak Harbor on Sept. 9, 1914, and lived nearly her entire life on Whibdey Island.

Born to parents Earl and Hanna Wade, Hansen grew up in a house on Pioneer Way and 60th, now known as Southeast Ely Street. In the same house, she married George Hansen in 1940 and raised their family, son Chet and daughter Chris.

Maxine graduated from Oak Harbor High School in 1932 and from what would later become Western Washington University in 1936. After that, she became a teacher.

Her first year of teaching was at a one-room school named Olympic Marsh, near Bayview, Wash., before transferring to Sedro-Woolley to teach primary grades until 1941.

She married George during winter break of the 1940-41 school year. When she returned to her job, she was promptly let go, because in 1941, married women were not allowed to teach.

“World War II changed many things,” Chris Hansen said, “one was to allow married women to teach as emergency substitutes.”

Eventually, Hansen became the first kindergarten teacher on Whidbey Island, teaching students in Coupeville. In 1946, she started teaching second and third grades and taught at a few different schools in the Oak Harbor area.

Eventually, she retired in 1976 after 32 years of teaching.

But Hansen wasn’t one to idle in her retirement. Chris Hansen said she waterskied until she was 74 years old, snow skied until 1972 and enjoyed hiking until 2007. She even taught others how to waterski and “was known to be the best in backing up boats on trailers into Oak Harbor and City Beach,” Chris said.

When her daughter Chris moved to Palm Springs, Calif., in 2009, Hansen enjoyed visiting there and is now “permanently visiting,” according to Chris.

Even now, at 100 years of age, Maxine Hansen enjoys hearing from former students and friends. Chris Hansen invites anyone wishing to send cards and notes by mail to Maxine (Wade) Hansen, c/o Chris Hansen, 435 N. Calle Rolph, Palm Springs, CA 92262.