My Grandmother Celebrated Her Centennial Birthday

My grandmother, Alice Arrington, on her 100th birthday

This weekend my family celebrated my grandmother’s 100th birthday. We celebrated all weekend. We had so much fun. Relatives drove up from the south. We spent hours opening up cards. She received presents, flowers, phone calls and ate so much delicious cake and good food.

My dad wrote a press release for my grandmother and submitted it our local paper, but even though, my dad submitted it a month ago and followed up with emails and calls and I reached out to the paper too, they didn’t respond back to either of us and didn’t include it in the paper this past week, so I thought I would share it with you all here.

Alice Arrington, a resident of Ridgefield, CT for the past 10 years, celebrated her 100th birthday on Friday, May 7. She lives with her daughter, Sandy Rich and their family. Alice has enjoyed an active life, first as a military wife who lived and traveled the world for 23 years, including stays in Germany, Morocco, the Philippines and Japan. Her travels have also included Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Greece, and China. Alice is a cancer survivor. She lost her husband in 1977 to pancreatic cancer but never remarried. They had four children but lost their first child at the age of six in a freakish bicycle accident while living in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Alice enjoys family and friends and dogs, and being a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She has five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She displays a wicked sense of humor and an interest in current events. Her hobbies and outside interests include machine knitting scarves, crocheting afghans, reading newspapers, finding new recipes, watching action films, and viewing sports, especially Michigan State basketball and football games. Her secret to longevity is having an interest in learning new things; always keeping busy; exercising; sleeping well; and accepting what life has to offer.

Over 90 cards were sent to my grandmother and about ten floral arrangements from friends and family across the country. It would be great if she reaches 100 cards by the end of the week to celebrate her 100th.

The First Selectman, Rudy Marconi, gave my grandmother a beautiful plaque to honor her on her 100th birthday.

I was so happy to celebrate my grandmother’s 100th birthday with her and of course, Mother’s Day with her too. She has been a mother for over 75 years. It was her big wish to make it to her 100th birthday.

Her resiliency, strength, and long, healthy life show the importance of taking care of and prioritizing health (mind, body, and spirit), the importance of having big dreams, family and friends, hobbies, resiliency, a sense of humor, passions, and drive.

If my grandmother’s story inspires you, please leave a comment below. Want to hear more inspirational stories and stories about holistic health and wellness? Click here to join my list and receive updates.