Long-term subscriber says newspaper makes her feel ‘younger’

After seven decades of receiving the Dayton Daily News, Mary Warbutton said she still looks forward to seeing the publication on her front porch every morning.

Warbutton said the newspaper was a “source of entertainment” for her and her late husband Richard after they met in the Gem City in the 1950s.

Mary of Hazard, Ky. said Richard, who died two years ago, was from West Virginia. She said her husband “rode in on a watermelon truck and fell off,” never to return to his home state.

“He worked at NCR and we met there. We were married for 65 years before he passed away,” Warbutton said. “Most of the time we would exchange sections. He loved sports. I loved the entertainment section. We would rather read the news than watch it on television.”

The 85-year-old West Carrollton resident said the newspaper helps her to stay in touch with the times and it “makes you feel a little younger.”

“I look forward to seeing the paper every morning on our front porch,” she said. “You talk about modern things that are happening in life, the changes that we go through. I find that very interesting to read in the paper.”

Warbutton said she remembers receiving two publications, one in the morning and one in the evening. It cost $1 and some change per week, which the paperboy collected once a month.

“The paperboy knew everybody in the neighborhood,” she said. “I miss that closeness. Everyone is so busy these days. You don’t have time to sit down and talk let alone sit down and read the paper together. That’s kind of sad when you stop to think about it.”

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