Lillian Cline doesn’t feel 100 years old.

“It feels just like it did when I was 40,” she said. “I remember being 40.”

While she didn’t particularly enjoy turning 40 in 1959, her 100th birthday last month was a celebrated occasion, as family and friends gathered to commemorate the unique milestone.

“My goodness, I’m 100 — I never thought I’d make that,” Cline said.

To live a long life, she said it’s important to eat well, sleep well and have good friends.

“Eat well, but remember to indulge just a little bit now and then,” Cline said, adding, “I love chocolate.”

She said her family and church — Immanuel Lutheran Church — are very important to her.

“I go every week,” Cline said.

She was born on May 18, 1919, the youngest of five children to Arne and Jorina Ravndal in Juanita, North Dakota. Her parents were both from Norway, and Cline is a first-generation American.

Following her high school graduation in 1937, she went to business college in Billings and then worked for an eye doctor.

Cline later moved to San Francisco and worked as a secretary for a general in the U.S. Navy right after World War II.

In October 1948, she married Bud Cline in Billings in “a very small wedding,” she said. The couple made their home in Emblem, where they raised four children — Brian, Bonnie, Jim and Roy.

Bud farmed for 33 years, raising beans and sugar beets.

“After the boys left the farm — they had helped him — I said to him, ‘I think I could drive one of these tractors,’” Cline recalled. “So he went with me one round, and then he got out and it was up to me. And so I helped him some — not a whole lot.”

They were active in the Zion Lutheran Church, “which is the heart of the whole neighborhood in Emblem,” Cline said.

For over 30 years, they called the small community home.

“I have a picture that says, ‘Population: 5,’ with the five of us standing there,” she said.

In 1980, the Clines moved to Powell.

“Bud took up golfing, and I took up volunteering,” Cline said.

She did hair at the Powell Valley Care Center, faithfully volunteering every week for more than 30 years — only stopping in her late 90s. Cline also volunteered at the hospital gift shop.

When asked what experiences and memories stand out in her long life, Cline points to her marriage with Bud, which spanned 61 years.

“We had a very good, happy marriage,” Cline said, adding, “we just looked forward to every day.”

As for the key to a long marriage, she said it’s important to do things together, respect one another and to always be aware of each other’s feelings.

“They balanced each other well,” said Gabriel Ravndal, their grandson.

Bud passed away in 2009 at the age of 97.

“He was a very good man,” Cline said.

Cline is thankful for her family, which includes seven grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren as well as nieces and nephews.

Her grandson, Gabriel, moved in several years ago to help her, and Cline remains at home.

“I have a good caretaker,” she said of Gabriel. “If it weren’t for him, I would probably be in the [Rocky Mountain] Manor or something. He takes good care of me.”

Over the past 100 years, Cline has seen the world change dramatically. She remembers a time without indoor plumbing and when her family used oil lamps for lighting.

She now keeps in touch with friends and family on the computer or telephone.

“You email people more than I do,” Gabriel said.

“It’s a good way to stay in touch,” Cline said.

She enjoys visits with friends and family, and is thankful for her health.

“I have a good life,” she said. “I only would have liked to have Bud around a little bit longer.”