Opal Kwozalla, the oldest living resident in Covington, died on Saturday at the age of 109.
Her family believes she may have been the oldest living resident in the state of Kentucky.
She was alive when the Titanic sank and alive the last time the Cubs won a World Series. She was 11-years-old when sliced bread was invented. Ringling Brothers purchased Barnum and Bailey Circus in 1906, the year before Opal was born, and less than 24-hours after Opal’s death, the circus announced they were closing their doors for good.
Born in Indiana on Nov. 20, 1907, she married her high school sweetheart — who proposed when she was still in high school. Her parents would not let her get married because she was too young, her great granddaughter Kendall Herold said, so she gave the ring back. They married two years later when she was just 19.
They were married for 51 years before he passed away at age 72.
Opal Kwozalla
They moved from Indiana to Covington. They built the framework for a house on 21st Street in Covington, just before the 1937 flood. When the flood waters receded, the framework was undamaged and the house was finished. They later moved to Park Hills.
She and her husband eventually moved to Florida where they lived for 43 years. Opal decided to return to Covington to be close to her family. She moved to Baptist Towers of Kyles Lane, and then eventually moved to Rosedale Green in Latonia, where she passed in peace on January 14.
On her 100th birthday, she told us there is nothing interesting about her life – “I think you’ll disagree,” said Kendall.
She had two sons, Ron and Bill, and a daughter-in-law. She has five grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and five great-great grandchildren.
Her son Ron passed away at age 51. He was a news and sports reporter for a Lexington radio station.
Her son Bill and his wife Joann live in Fort Wright.
Opal traveled to all 50 states, spent three months in Alaska and toured all the Canadian provinces. She also spent five months in Mexico.
“My favorite story,” said Kendall, “is that she got in big time trouble with her parents when she was young because she took the horse and buggy to her friends house and didn’t come home until it was dark!”
Opal was 105 when Covington celebrated its 100th birthday but she was unable to attend the festivities.
“Aunt Opal” was an exceptionally wonderful human being and I have very fond memories of her and Uncle Rod visiting with her brother Walter Earlywine in Terre Haute Indiana when I was a small boy. At one point in my childhood a brief article appeared in our local newspaper congratulating me for a grand slam home run I had hit and it coincided with a visit from Aunt Opal. Though she never admitted it – it was family lore that she placed the classified ad congratulating a small boy for a moment of success. She was simply that kind of a caring individual. I also recall interesting conversations with Aunt Opal at the Earlywine family reunions throughout the years as I grew up to be a man. Her life and the way she lived it touched many people in a positive way.