Girl Scouts honor 102-year-old Minnesota woman
Published 7:01 am Tuesday, March 17, 2020
WHITE BEAR LAKE — Marian Seabold remembers when her mom baked Girl Scout cookies at home for her to sell.
They weren’t anything fancy like today’s Thin Mints or Tagalongs, just plain sugar cookies packaged in wax paper bags, sealed with a sticker and sold for 25 cents per dozen.
A St. Paul native, Seabold was born in a house in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood in 1917. She joined the Girl Scouts when she was 10, returning to lead when her daughter attended, then again when her granddaughter joined.
“My camping years were wonderful,” the 102-year-old said. “Lots of things I used years later were things I’d learned when I was 11 years old.”
Seabold was honored Feb. 15 in White Bear Lake with a lifetime achievement award as one of the longest-serving Girl Scouts, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.
Daisys, Brownies, Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors crowded around Seabold’s wheelchair at The Lodge at White Bear to sing songs, eat cookies and hear her talk about the good old days.
“I dreamed I was back at Camp Lakamaga,” she said, and launched into a series of stories about swimming in the lake at night under the stars, learning to start a fire and surviving a “twister” that blew through the camp.
Girl Scouts had been on her mind lately. In hospice, due to her weak heart, she had a visit last month from Patty Zenz, a St. Croix Hospice caregiver. Seabold noticed Zenz’s badge and asked her if she was with the River Valley Girl Scouts.
Zenz said “no,” but that she had been in Girl Scouts. As the two talked, Zenz learned how much Girl Scouts had been a part of Seabold’s life and connected her with the local troop.
Further checking showed that Seabold’s name was still in the Girl Scout’s computer records and had been on file for 92 years.
The local troop decided to combine their annual “Cookie Go Day” celebration, which marks the beginning of the monthlong Girl Scout cookie sales season, with a party to honor Seabold for her service.