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PROVO -- Jane Petty's morning routine always includes reading jokes to help jump-start her day. For example:
"Know how to prevent sagging? Just eat until the wrinkles fill out," Jane laughed. Then another: "Nice thing about being senile is you can hide your own Easter eggs."
"It makes me feel good," Jane explained. "I can sit there, stand there, and laugh just like a silly person you know. … When I laugh, I laugh a lot. And if I didn't, I'd go crazy I think."
Jane says she got her sense of humor from her mother, who had nine children in 16 years. They grew up in North Dakota and all the children were put to work early -- Jane began at age 8.
"I was babysitting," she said. "And I don't know how I learned it, but the women wore their hair in those finger waves they wore in those years, and I'd go all over town and they'd give me a nickel or dime tip. That was a lot of money in those days."
These days, Jane is enjoying the golden years. A widow for over a decade, Jane stays busy dancing for Jean's Golden Girls in Orem. She's one of the group's originals, beginning when she answered a newspaper ad 13 years ago.
"I called her and she said, ‘How old are you?' and I said, ‘I don't want to tell you because you'll think I'm too old,'" Jane recalled. "She said ‘No, tell me.' So I says I'm 81, and she said, ‘Oh, that's just fine.' So I started at the beginning."
Ever since, Jane has been giving audiences something to cheer about.
"Oh, she is just an inspiration. We all want to be like her when we grow up," said fellow dancer Terry Dixon.
"She's the star of our group. We all look up to her. She's a real inspiration," fellow dancer Maggie Hedger said. "She doesn't want to think she's the star, but she is."
Now 94 years of age, Jane isn't about to slow down.
"I won't plan to live to 100. I don't think I want to," Jane said. "I don't think I can dance that long. So if I can't dance, I might as well go."
Then she added, "My mother lived to be 97, and if I lived that long I'd be happy."
Happiness for Jane starts first thing every morning with a good, out-loud, funny joke.
"What is the common term for someone who enjoys work and refuses to retire? Answer: nuts!" Jane laughed.
Jane has a huge fan base, including her four children, 27 grandchildren and 48 great-grandchildren. She was even a hit on The Tonight Show four years ago.
E-mail: kaiken@ksl.com
