EDWARDSVILLE - Alma Koller turned 100 on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, and she enjoyed a wonderful celebration with her family for this huge milestone.
For her 80th birthday, Koller arrived by helicopter. For her 90th, she rode on the back of her son’s Harley.
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Koller still lives in her Edwardsville home with around-the-clock help. She is the mother of Paul and Myra and the grandmother of Hope Mader, creator of Rock The Hops.
She worked as a beautician at Ann’s Beauty Shop in Edwardsville during the 1950s and 1960s, then worked at the Bank of Edwardsville until retirement.
Koller grew up in the woods of Southern Missouri, where she learned at a young age to identify plants that could be eaten. Woods also surround her Edwardsville home.
In 2013, she won a blue ribbon at the Illinois State Fair for a recipe using plants picked from the ground. The family’s list of ingredients included tender pokeweed, dandelions, lamb’s quarter, plantain, dock, tender blackberry leaves and elder leaves.
The oldest of nine siblings, Koller has outlived them all. Her mother died when Koller was 6, and she helped care for her siblings. Her father later remarried and had five more children.
Her father was a minister who started churches in the Riverbend area. According to her family, Koller knew by age 11 that she wanted to be a minister and has been a Bible teacher for more than 85 years.
Music also has been part of her life. She came from a musical family, sang soprano, and played piano until a couple of years ago.
She has lived through the aftermath of World War I, the Holocaust, World War II, and much more.
Alma Koller's legacy will live on forever through her family and friends around the Edwardsville area.
If you have a loved one with a special birthday milestone like Koller's 100th birthday, e-mail a photo and details about the person to news@riverbender.com.
