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 The three centenarians -- Lucille Price, 100, Sophia Smith,
101, and Grace-Marie Baker, 102 -- cut into a white cake while
more than 50 people gathered at the Crown Heights Center for
Nursing and Rehabilitation in the borough of Brooklyn.
After the singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner," the crowd
serenaded Baker, Smith and Price, all in wheelchairs, with "Lift
Every Voice and Sing."
"We're going to be celebrating life and the continuation of a
celebration in our lives," Claudia Titus, director of activities
at the center, said of the party for the three.
Amid prayers, readings from the Bible and bouquets of flowers,
the centenarians gave differing recipes for their long lives.
"It's the soup, chicken soup," said Smith, who was born in
Guyana and enjoys going to church and visits from her five
grandchildren. She arrived at the nursing home when she was 100.
Baker, who was born in Brooklyn, said God was the reason for her
long life. "He's been taking care of me. I've had a lot of sick
days but he wasn't ready for me," said Baker, whose hobbies
include cooking, painting and visiting museums.
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Price, a former housewife and hairdresser also originally from
Guyana, said no special diet had kept her going.
"I got no secret because I do whatever everybody else do. I eat
whatever I have to eat and I eat any food, any food I eat," said
Price, who has 20 grandchildren and 35 great-grandchildren and has
lived at the nursing home since 2005.
The party was not held to celebrate birthdays, but was to mark the
centenarians' long lives, nursing home officials said. The center
specializes in short-term, post-acute rehabilitation and long-term
residential care.
(Reporting by Gina Cherelus and Roselle Chen; Writing by Ian
Simpson; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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