What’s the secret to living through an entire century?
At 105, Elizabeth Hubbert figures you take life as it comes. Therese Remski, 100, says to enjoy living and have fun. And Sophia Hensel, who slipped into a gathering of centenarians at age 99, credits “good genes and good living.”
All were part of a Sept. 22 event aimed at celebrating National Centenarian Day at Waltonwood Cherry Hill, a senior living community in Canton.
Across the U.S., the number of centenarians is growing. Over the next three decades, the number of Americans ages 100 and older is projected to more than quadruple, from approximately 101,000 in 2024 to about 422,000 in 2054, according to projections from the U.S. Census Bureau.
At the Waltonwood event, centenarians wore feathered
headbands as about 15 women, ages 99-105, gathered for the Gatsby-themed celebration. Staff members were decked out in 1920s-era attire.
Waltonwood Associate Executive Director Emily Long said the luncheon event was intended to bring centenarians together in the same room.
“It was a way to get all of our communities together as a group and celebrate them and their lives and their stories,” she said, noting that while most who attended were residents of Waltonwood senior living communities across metro Detroit, centenarians from outside the organization were invited, as well.
Sophia Hensel was a little early for the party.
“I just celebrated 99,” she said, moving spryly between tables to socialize. “They let the 99s come in this year.”
Hensel said she’s lived at Waltonwood for three years. She has three sons, nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Her late husband, Jim Hensel, was an ordained Catholic deacon for about 45 years, and she said faith has always been central to their family.
Horses and Harleys
But Hensel’s version of aging well also means trying new things.
After moving to Waltonwood, she made a bucket list, then climbed onto a horse for the first time in her life at 97.
After that, she wanted to ride a Harley-Davidson. Then she took a helicopter ride over Detroit, where she got to see the Gordie Howe International Bridge under construction.
“I’ve been having a ball,” she said.
Her adventures are part of Waltonwood’s program that helps residents do something they have always wanted to try, or return to something they haven’t done in years.
Her next adventure?
“I’m happy to have my feet on the ground for a while,” Hensel said.
At 105, Elizabeth Hubbert doesn’t spend much time looking for explanations for her longevity.
“We worked hard. We had fun,” she said.
Hubbert grew up in Illinois and raised her three children there before her husband’s work brought the family to Michigan. She spent nearly 25 years in Cedarville in the Upper Peninsula with her husband, Gordon, a World War II Navy veteran.
They later moved to Plymouth, and the couple eventually celebrated 70 years of marriage. Gordon died five months later, after reaching a milestone he had hoped for: his 90th birthday.
“He was a wonderful, wonderful father and husband, grandfather,” said Hubbert, who today has eight grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, three great-great-grandchildren and still lives independently in a Plymouth Township condo.
“I’ve been very, very lucky,” Hubbert said. “I’ve been healthy.”
Hubbert had simple advice for someone hoping to reach 100.
“You just have to take things as they come, I guess,” she said.
Therese Remski’s century began in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where she grew up as one of 10 children in Escanaba.
She eventually followed an older brother to Detroit and attended beauty school before meeting John, the man she would marry.
Together, they raised seven children in a small home in Detroit. Today, she also claims 15 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Remski and her husband began exercising at the YMCA when they were in their 50s, a habit she continued until she was 90.
Faith has also been a constant in her life. Two of Remski’s sisters became nuns, and her own daily prayer list is long. Her daily routine includes watching the Eternal Word Television Network, or EWTN.
'Just enjoy living'
So what’s the secret to living for a century?
“Just enjoy living and have fun,” Remski said.
In a short ceremony during the luncheon, Long told the crowd the centenarians had lived through enormous change, but their lives were about more than witnessing history.
“The people in this room have lived extraordinary lives,” she said. “You are living history certainly, but you are also mothers, fathers, grandparents, great-grandparents, spouses, teachers, friends, neighbors, vendors, travelers, folks, caregivers, storytellers, and so much more.”
Canton Township Supervisor Anne Marie Graham-Hudak also joined the celebration to present proclamations to the centenarians.
“My grandmother passed at 101,” Graham-Hudak said. “I miss her every day. I want to say congratulations to all of you.”
Contact reporter Laura Colvin: lcolvin@hometownlife.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How do you live to 100? Michigan women don feathers, share advice
