Viola (Dockter) Filler, 103, Harvey, ND, perhaps the oldest known polio survivor, passed away peacefully at the St. Aloisius Nursing Home in Harvey on Friday, October 9, 2020.

The visitation will be streamed live on You Tube at https://youtu.be/D5jALLSfQGg

Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, October 16, 2020 at the Cornerstone Community Church, North Campus, Harvey, ND. Burial will be in Sunnyside Cemetery, Harvey, ND.  Visitation will be Thursday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Hertz Funeral Home, Harvey, ND. CDC recommendations of wearing masks, hand sanitizing, maintaining social distancing and staying away if ill would be appreciated.

Viola was born on September 23, 1917 at home in rural Martin to her parents Marie (Henne) and Jacob Dockter. She attended the Berlin Township School until completing the 8 ^th grade in 1930 at the beginning of the Great Depression. From 1930-1938, she helped her dad farm and worked as a hired-hand for neighbors.

On October 23, 1938, she married Alvin Filler, and they began farming south of Harvey.  On her 27 ^th birthday in 1944, she woke up feeling as if she was getting the flu and by the next day, her left leg and arm were paralyzed by the polio virus. She spent several months in a Minot hospital wrapped in warm towels and doing hours of physical therapy known then as Sister Kenny treatments. When the time came for her to have a trial visit at home, she was excited to see her family and  promised herself that she'd show the doctors she could go home for good; she did exactly that.

Between 1944 and 2005 when she entered the nursing home, she missed very few days of doing her "floor exercises," which she learned from the medical staff trained in the methods of Sister Kenny. After retiring from farming and moving into Harvey, she was given an exercise bicycle which she rode three miles a day until age 88 when she moved into the St. Aloisius Nursing Home.  At this time, the bike had over 12,000 miles on it. It was very important to Viola that she not be seen as handicapped.

During her 103 years on Earth, she lived a life that mirrored her most dearly held beliefs; God, Family and Community. Her strong faith carried her through many hardships, none harder than living with polio.  She welcomed many advances during her lifetime such as indoor plumbing, electricity, television, and the microwave. She travelled to London, visited over 40 states, and watched a man walk on the Moon.

Ever the optimist, shortly before her death, she renewed her annual subscription to the local newspaper and ordered a year's supply of search-word puzzles.  She woke up every morning wondering what blessings the day would bring and was so grateful for each one she received.

Viola is survived by her son, Jay (Mary) Filler; daughters, Karen Barnett, and Connie (Samuel) Pate; 13 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Alvin Filler; son Galen; grandson Jeffrey Filler, 10 siblings: Edward, Elsie (Dockter), Edna (Heitmann), Emma (Heitmann), Esther (Reimche), Henry, Wilbert, Alma (Heitmann)  Ruth (Reimche) and Vernon, and numerous nieces and nephews.

September 23, 2017, Viola Filler celebrated her 100 ^th birthday, an accomplishment which made her the oldest-known polio survivor in the United States. Over 150 people attended the celebration of her life coming from as far away as Arizona, Florida, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan and Montana.

To hear Viola talk about her remarkable life, please visit www.violaturns100.com

Share online at www.hertzfuneralhomes.com