HELEN CAMPANIO

When Helen Campanio lost her husband in 1996, she made a bold promise.

“I told my family members, ‘I’m going to live to be 100,’” says Helen, a resident of The Cove at Tavares Village.

Her prediction has come true. Helen will celebrate her 100th birthday Jan. 24. As the big day nears, the accomplishment somehow seems less significant to her.

“Why should celebrating my 100th birthday feel any different from any other birthday?” she wonders. “It’s nothing more than a date.”

Despite her modesty, her achievement is indeed significant, considering she suffers from neuropathy in her legs resulting from five back operations, as well as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Some would have given in to such pain and discomfort long ago.

Not Helen.

“One reason I’m still alive is because I have family members who provide such a wonderful support system for me,” she says. “I love when they come here to visit me.”

Two frequent visitors are her son, Ralph Campanio, and his wife, Peggy. As owners of six shih tzus, they often bring one of their furry friends when they visit. It’s probably no coincidence Helen’s favorite happens to be the oldest dog, Chelsea Ann, who is 13.

“She is so loveable and enjoys cuddling with me,” Helen says. “However, she is not allowed to kiss me. That tongue isn’t coming anywhere near my face! I enjoy the dogs because they are so happy to see me. They climb right up on my lap and love being petted and talked to. They even talk back to me in their own little way.”

When she has no visitors, Helen finds plenty of ways to keep entertained. She enjoys walking to the dining room, playing bingo with friends and completing 500-piece jigsaw puzzles.

“I also do crossword puzzles every day and make it a point to finish them,” she says. “It’s a great way to keep your mind active and stimulated.”

A native of Meadville, Pennsylvania, Helen remembers growing up on property where apple trees, pear trees and plum trees were in abundance. Her parents, who both lived into their late 80s, emphasized the importance of healthy eating. As a wife and mother of two children, Helen made it a priority to cook “healthy, well-balanced” meals that typically con- sisted of salads, vegetables and fish.

“She has always been a wonderful mother,” Ralph says. “I think one reason she has lived to be 100 is because she is so strong and independent.”

Ralph will be one of 35 people attending Helen’s birthday party, which will be held inside The Cove at Tavares Village’s community center. Family and friends from far away as Pennsylvania and Virginia are also coming to her milestone birthday celebration.

“I really don’t think reaching 100 is that big of a deal,” she says. “I’m still here and I’m very appreciative of that, but being 100 does not make me more special than anyone else.

STATES WITH THE MOST CENTENARIANS AS OF 2010:

5,921

STATES WITH THE LEAST CENTENARIANS AS OF 2010: 40 72

SOURCE: money.usnews.com/money/retirement/articles/2013/01/07/what-people-who-live-to-100-have-in-common

4,605

4,090

133

DON’T STOP AT 100

COULD SHE BE THE OLDEST?

At age 127, Leandra Becerra Lumbreras of Mexico claims to be the world’s oldest living person. However, the Guinness Book of World Records will not recognize her because she lost her birth certificate.

Favorite Foods Of Famous Centenarians

• Jeanne Louise Calment, who died in 1997 at age 122, ate two pounds of chocolate every week and drank French wine.

• The world’s oldest living man, 112-year-old Salustiano Sanchez Blazquez, attributes his supercentenarian status to eating a daily banana

• The favorite dish of 116-year-old Misao Okawa of Japan is mackerel sushi

• 114-year-old Maria Gomes Valentim of Brazil loved eating feijoada, a stew made of pork, beef, beans and vegetables.

• Pearl Cantrell, 105, says the secret to her successful aging is eating bacon every day for breakfast.

SOURCE: care2.com/greenliving/favorite-foods-of-5-famous-centenarians.html

These days, more people are living to be 110 and older. They are known as supercentenarians. Of the 74 supercentenarians worldwide, 22 live in the United States.

SOURCE: science20.com/news_articles/supercentenarians_worlds_ oldest_living_people_get_wholegenome_sequences_published-148997

If the medical community is looking for scientific proof that funny people live longer, 102-year-old Alice Livingston would be an interesting case study.

A resident of The Cove at Waterman Village, Alice is known among family and friends for her great sense of humor and readiness to offer a joke or a one-liner whenever appropriate, especially when talking about her birthday celebration in this month.

“Don’t buy me any presents,” she pleads to her niece, Pat Oberholtzer. “Well, actually you can buy me some pantyhose. Just make sure whichever ones you buy me make me look good.”

Then there’s the fond memory of growing up on her family’s farm in Lenox, Georgia.

“I loved being outside with my baby sister,” she says, “but every time I took her in the yard this crazy rooster would start chasing her. The rooster was so annoying. I remember being so happy when my mom finally killed that damn thing.”

And Alice will never forget being married to Dee, only to fall madly in love with her second husband, Bill.

“Bill stole my heart and took me from Dee,” she jokes. “That wasn’t very nice!”

While making others laugh comes naturally for Alice, she cannot say with certainty it has contributed to her longevity.

“Why am I still around? I really have no idea,” she says. “I’d like to know. Can somebody please tell me?”

Alice and Bill lived in Tampa for many years. They were avid freshwater and deep-sea fishermen who often traveled to Sanibel Island and fished for snook. Attending church together, she says, was less enjoyable.

“Bill used to snore in church,” Alice recalls. “I’d nudge him and tell him I was going to sit somewhere else if he didn’t wake up. I wasn’t about to sit through the entire service by someone who snored!”

Alice did strive to lead a healthy lifestyle. She quit smoking 40 years ago and drank cocktails only occasionally. She has also walked frequently throughout her life and particularly enjoyed walking along the shores of Daytona Beach during summertime.

“Is that beach still there?” she asks.

Today, Alice, who moved to Lake County in 2006, enjoys watching movies in the recreation room and interacting with fellow residents. She loves receiving visits from Pat, as well as her great-niece, Kelli Hill.