Hutchinson ? Sliding a fresh batch of toffee crunch bars from the oven, Estelle Lewis placed the sweet confection on a plate.

A wisp of a woman, she stands a graceful 5 feet tall. From behind, she might be confused for a person three decades younger than her 100 years.

The independent lady has a reputation for her home-baked treats that she continues to produce in her immaculate kitchen. Once the food is cooled, Lewis will get in her car and drive across town to deliver the treats to a friend celebrating a birthday. Or perhaps she’ll share her homemade dessert at a covered-dish church dinner.

“They tell me I’m too independent,” Lewis said, smiling.

Although she never had her own children, she said that a niece and nephew check in with her regularly.

Born Oct. 21, 1904, she grew up on a farm seven miles southeast of Sterling. It was there that Lewis had her first driving lesson.

“I was just a kid on the farm, real young, when I learned to drive a Model T,” Lewis said. “It seems like I’ve been driving all my life.”

While she continues to drive, her record is pristine.

“Oh, a long time ago I was stopped in Colorado. But I wasn’t given a ticket,” Lewis aid. “I have had parking tickets. I even got two in one day.”

Estelle Lewis goes for a drive in Hutchinson on her way to a luncheon March 15. The 100-year-old woman still leads an independent life, which includes regular trips across town.

She attended Bresee College in Hutchinson. The college merged in 1939 with present-day Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma.

While at Bresee, she and her sister boarded in town with a family. On weekends, they would return home loaded down with dirty laundry. They spent hours washing their clothes in a boiler.

While in high school, she joined First Nazarene Church, and over the years, she had a pie ministry.

“After people came to church for the first time, I would bring them a pie,” she said. She’d knock at the newcomer’s door bearing a perfect meringue.

First Nazarene Church Pastor Kendall Franklin admitted he has been in cahoots with some of the servers at the church who’ve been known to hide slices of Lewis’ coconut cream pies for themselves.

Not only is she a centenarian, Franklin said, but also one who still is ministering to other people.

“She is so unassuming,” Franklin said. “Such an unusually special lady. It’s so inspiring to see how she lives for the Lord. She just keeps on serving and caring and ministering to other people. I think she is pretty awesome.”

There is more to Lewis than her domestic abilities. A retired office administrator, she met her husband during the Depression when they both were working at Kansas Power and Light.

“We didn’t suffer during the Depression,” Lewis said. “I had a job and was paid $12 a week.”

A well-stamped passport tells the story of Lewis’ years of travel with her husband. Her favorite place to visit was Bora Bora in the South Pacific.

Her husband did all the planning for their world travels from the Middle East to the Far East. Phillip Lewis was vice president of Borton L.C., and some of his travel was work-related. But he shared his wanderlust with his wife.

“He had a hard time getting me started,” Lewis said. “I didn’t like to pack. But once I got on the road, I had as much fun as he did.”

A trip to China was their last opportunity for globe-trotting. After 49 years of marriage, Phillip Lewis died in 1986.

“My traveling days ended when he died,” she said. “I didn’t have any interest.”

Today, her life is full of other activities that keep her in Hutchinson. Within city limits she’s unstoppable. She pulls her car out of the garage and backs onto a busy street like a pro.

“It doesn’t bother me to back out,” she said. “I know sometimes I’ll have to sit there a while. Eventually, the light will change.”