SANDPOINT — Bette Stepek credits her longevity to the power of positive thinking.

That, and a healthy lifestyle.

"I kind of owe it to my mother because she was the one who made me sit at the table and eat my vegetables, whether I liked it or not. You are what you eat," Stepek said, laughing, before continuing more seriously on the advice she would pass down if asked. "That's one thing. And I would say to be positive and to take everything with a little bit of a grain of salt. And life, it's not so serious, really. You have to find something to be happy about or to smile about."

And Saturday, Stepek had plenty to smile about as family and friends helped her celebrate her milestone 90th birthday with a special party at Sandpoint Community Hall.

That joy has been in abundant supply since Stepek moved to Sandpoint in January 1989.

A self-described "big city" girl until she moved to North Idaho, Stepek grew up in Indiana before living near Chicago for a number of years. Her path to North Idaho wound through several continents, as she traveled extensively with her first husband, a civil engineer, living in Liberia and Okinawa among other locations in the course of his job. After their divorce and then the unexpected death of her second husband, she briefly settled in the San Diego area before moving to Sandpoint to be closer to her parents and brother.

"I have to be honest, when I first moved here, being a big city girl from around Chicago, it was a little bit different here. I thought I'd moved back in time 50 years and it took me a little bit to get used to it," said Stepek.

It didn't take long before Sandpoint was home.

Saturday's party wasn't only a chance to celebrate a milestone birthday but to connect with friends made over decades of working and living in the community.

The party was arranged by Stepek's daughters, Karla Petermann and Bettina Stephan, who wanted their mom to have a special day, celebrating with friends and loved ones. 

While the nonagenarian knew the party was planned, there were a few surprises. The biggest? Her sister and nephews flew up on the down-low to surprise her at the party.

In addition to family members, the party attracted a larger number of friends and coworkers from her lengthy careers at the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce and the Bonner Mall Trade Association.

"I'm just so tickled to see people that I've known over the years but I haven't seen for a long, long time," Stepek said.

It was soon after she moved to the area to be closer to family that she learned how special the area was, gaining a whole new family in the community at large. She found, she added, a home.

"It was just such a good, cozy feeling," Stepek said. "Coming from a larger area, you don't experience that closeness anywhere else."

Stepek soon found a job at the chamber as its events coordinator shortly after moving to the area in January 1989. Soon, with the aid of now dear friend Marcella Nelson, she helped launch now-iconic community events — Winter Carnival, Mardi Gras and Oktoberfest, among others — and feeling very much at home. 

After eight or nine years at the chamber, Stepek took a break before going to work for the Bonner Mall Trade Association, where she served as the group's marketing director. Both, she said, allowed her to interact with the community, get to know a wide variety of people and fall in love with how special the area is.

"I think my favorite part at the chamber was the people that I met, most especially Marcella Nelson," Stepek said. "She worked at the desk next to me and I was a real greenhorn and didn't know anything. Marcella guided me, event by event, and she's just been a really dear friend ever since."

She credits Nelson for introducing her to the community and how to connect with everyone, serving as an avenue to the community.

When she decided to return to work, Stepek again found herself working alongside Nelson — this time for the trade association while Nelson worked for the Ponderay Community Development Corporation.

"Once again, we were partners in crime only in a different location," she laughed.

Stepek enjoyed working with the merchants, learning about each business, what they made and how they operated. She worked to devise ways to bring shoppers to the mall, from turkey bingo to different promotions. Perhaps the most memorable of those events was a rabbit show that needed a place to land after an event at the fairgrounds was canceled at the last minute.

"Soon, we had the whole common area filled with rabbit cages," said Stepek before pausing to smile and chuckle at the memory.

There are too many reasons to count on why she remained in the community, but the bottom line is it is home, Stepek said. The beauty of both the area and the people are unmatched.

"The people and organizations are wonderful," she said. "I hope everyone, those who are here and those who move here, enjoy the spirit of Sandpoint and what makes it special. Come with an open heart and be willing to embrace what's new and beautiful about a small town and let your worries fly away because it is a peaceful, wonderful place if you just let it in."

    A photo of Bette Stepek sits on a table filled with gifts and cards presented in celebration of the longtime resident's 90th birthday on Saturday.
  

    Bette Stepek, second from left, is pictured with family members in a photo shared as part of a tribute to the longtime resident as she celebrated her 90th birthday on Saturday.