Centenarian talks about aging, longevity and what she looks forward to

Q. Did you ever imagine you would live to be 100 years old?
A. Never in my wildest dreams, I’m one of the few to live this long in my family. I have a cousin in Canada and he’s in his 80s.

Q. How do you describe your health?
A. I have all of my marbles and that’s the most important thing to me. I can remember everything. I even remember a friend in grade school who had two different colored eyes! I have some trouble walking, so I use my wheelchair most of the time.

Q. Not many people reach 100 years of age. To what do you attribute your longevity — any secrets you could share with us?
A. I don’t smoke, never have, never will and I don’t drink alcohol.

Q. What do you do on a typical weekday?
A.  The nurses here get me up and ready for breakfast. Then I read the newspaper from one end to the other. Later in the day, I bring the articles to dinner and share them with my friends because some of them have a hard time reading the paper. I like to keep them up-to-date on the news. When I was a younger girl, I used to run outside to get the newspaper everyday for my mother-in-law.

I also enjoy knitting. I’ve crocheted afghans for all 14 of my grandchildren. Right now, I’m knitting mittens.

I also take advantage of the activities here at Loretto. Lately, I’ve been shopping, to Lights on the Lake and to different musical entertainment downstairs in the auditorium. I also attend church every week; I’m an avid churchgoer.

As a gift from my previous employer, companions from Life’s Changing Seasons visit with me three times per week for four hours each time. We play scrabble, Yahtzee, go for walks outside, really anything I’d like to do.

Q. Is there anything you look forward to doing each day?
A. I look forward to visiting with my granddaughter, Jill, receiving phone calls from my huge family and friends. For my 100th birthday celebration, I had 75 people at my party! I also like spending time with my friends here at Loretto. The staff calls my good friend, Esther, and I the, Bobbsey Twins!

Q. Before you retired, what did you do?
A. I retired at the age of 92. I loved my job. I was the caretaker of a private estate in Old Forge at the Adirondack League Club. I managed staff, took care of the books and hired employees. My husband was in charge of the outdoor work. We were treated like family, eating dinner with the whole family on a regular basis. Then at the end of the day, my husband and I returned to our camp, which was just a couple of miles down the road. I worked there for about 45 years.

Q. Do you miss anything about your job?
A. I miss it terribly, but the family I worked for always comes to visit me, calls me and sends me lovely gifts. When I was 99, I went to the estate and spent the day. It was great! The family bought two benches for the Town of Old Forge Library, in honor of my 100th birthday. The benches are located in front of the library, with plaques to commemorate the occasion.

Q. You wrote a book about your family. Tell us about it. How many pages does it have and what did you write in it?
A. The book is called, A Fabric of Memories Thread by Thread. When I lived in Old Forge, I took writing classes and loved to write and write and write. I published some of my writing in a collection among other writers called the Old Forge Anthology. My granddaughter, Jill, thought we should put all of my stories together. So, we started an outline and included things like my wedding invitation, photos of my family, photos of me when I was a child and things about my family history and life. The book has about 120 pages and we printed 30 copies for my family and friends.

Q. What do you think younger people could learn from your life?
A.  I wish they would dress more appropriately, pay attention to what their mother and father say, stay close to family, listen to your grandparents and have a relationship with faith.