Mount Alverno Center resident Lillian Kjellander celebrates 100th birthday

WARWICK — In the year that Lillian Kjellander was born, the president of the United States was Woodrow Wilson and Americans were fighting in World War I.
The first airmail service had just been launched. Motion pictures were silent and radios were still not a popular form of home entertainment.
Kjellander, a resident of Warwick’s Mount Alverno Center Adult Home and Assisted Living Program, was born in Philadelphia on April 8, 1918.
And on Saturday, April 7, she celebrated her 100th birthday with close relatives and friends in the facility’s Greenbrier Room.
She and her husband, Eugene, since deceased, had lived in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. They raised three children and today she can boast about her two grandchildren and a great grandchild about to be born.
Kjellander reported that she had worked as a legal secretary and that her husband was a telephone installer. While living in Lehighton, they both enjoyed vegetable gardening, a factor, besides having good genes and not smoking or drinking, that she attributes to her longevity.
“I was careful about what foods we ate,” said Kjellander. “I always served fresh vegetables grown in our garden. And I would freeze them so I could still serve the same vegetables in winter.”
Although celebrating one’s 100th birthday is no small achievement for anyone, Kjellander has also managed to remain physically and mentally active at Mt. Alverno Center, which has been her home for the past four years. The facility also has a vegetable garden, which she enjoys visiting.
Although it may still seem rare, the fastest growing segment of the population is actually people who have reached the age of 100 and beyond.
EssentialsMount Alverno Center is a New York State-licensed Adult Home with an Assisted Living Program serving 85 residents. The goal is for residents to maintain a maximum level of independence. Individualized care plans are designed to help residents reach their utmost daily potential. Services are based on a team approach and are provided by highly competent professionals dedicated to the comfort and safety of the residents.