Loretta Vial has a secret.
Vial celebrated her birthday in February – she turned 101 this year.
She’s not interested in slowing down, though, because Vial’s secret to longevity is all about staying active and keeping a positive mindset.
“Keep busy, keep working as long as you can and exercise,” Vial said
as the way to lead a long life.”
Nicknamed “Totsy,” Vial does yoga three times a week. While she uses a walker, she moves about her house with ease. Hahnville High School assistant principal Shawn Heiden recently visited with Vial, who was a graduate of the HHS Class of 1940. HHS is celebrating its centennial this year, and Vial was part of this parish’s educational history as both a student and a teacher – she taught for two years in Bayou Gauche, educating students at what was a two-room schoolhouse at the time.
“I told her that my son is graduating from Hahnville this year – 85 years after she did – and asked if she had some advice I could share with him. She said ‘study hard in school, work hard, make good grades and learn a trade,’” Heiden said.
She recalled attending Hahnville High during the days Eual J. Landry served as its principal – Teeny Landry, as she knew him, Teeny the famed local principal’s nickname.
Vial’s first job came at a port of embarkation, where men going off to war were processed. She worked there following her graduation from Hahnville High, and at the time the United States was beginning its involvement in World War II. “She speaks of it very matter of factly,” Heiden said. Vial recalled memories of her mother rationing sugar and other things due to the scarcity of products at the time due to the Great Depression.
Her only mode of transportation at the time – not having a car – was the Greyhound bus.
Heiden called Vial “a wonderful reminder” of a generation that was accustomed to hard times, and getting tougher to deal with those hard times.
“She’s lived through so many changes in society, politics, the economy and everything in between, and she seemed unphased by many of those changes. She’s just got a very positive, matter of fact approach about life,” Heiden said. “She’s mentally sharper than people who are half of her age … her smile and positive, welcoming approach make me
smile just thinking about her.”
Heiden has a photo of Vial hanging in his office, a photo he’ll point to for a positive example for others.
“When anyone comes into my office to complain, I’ll point to this picture of ‘Totsy’ and remind them of her positive, genuine spirit,” he said.