Widower to celebrate 100 years young

Retired psychologist escaped Russian Revolution

This Tuesday, Lawrence resident Henry Remple will reach a milestone.

The retired Lawrence psychologist, who survived the Russian Revolution as a boy, will be 100 years old.

His daughter Lucy McAllister said instead of a party, Remple is asking for a special birthday greeting or card.

He wants to know about someone doing a good deed, making a charitable contribution or spending time outdoors.

Friends can also schedule a visit with him in November or December. He enjoys going out for coffee or tea.

“What makes his quality of life high — the Girl Scouts still meet here, and he’s got a lot of friends who take him out or come here,” McAllister said.

Remple was born Nov. 25, 1908, in Alexanderwohl, Ukraine, a rural Mennonite village.

To escape persecution, his family reached the port city of Batum (now Batumi), Georgia. But while they awaited passports, his parents and several siblings died.

Remple and two sisters survived starvation and illness and arrived in 1923 at Ellis Island.

A Mennonite family of rural Henderson, Neb., later adopted Remple.

He earned an education, including a doctorate in psychology from Kansas University in 1950. Remple worked as clinical psychologist with the Veterans Administration and practiced as an independent psychologist until 1998.

He wrote his memoir in 2001, and Pearson Custom Press is publishing a second edition. Lawrence filmmaker Linda Haskins also created a documentary in 2007, “Henry D. Remple: Finding Hope in Troubled Times.”

It also includes commentary from psychologists who studied Remple’s life as an example to help young people be resilient in stressful times.

He became a widower in 2000 when his wife, Mariana, died.

McAllister, Remple’s daughter, said resiliency and friendship has helped her father live so long. He stays active exercising and gardening, helping local Girl Scout Troops, eating well and conversing with friends and former colleagues. He also enjoys music and attending lectures and other events in Lawrence when he’s able.

“We’re very pleased that he has a living legacy left behind regarding to teaching,” said McAllister, who takes care of Remple with her husband, Loring.

More information about his life is available at hdremple.com. Friends of Remple can reach McAllister at 843-5962.