Philadelphia resident celebrates 105 years


One Philadelphia resident recently celebrated a big birthday, and it sounds like she is gearing for plenty more.

As reported recently in the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper, Matilda Centurione of Doylestown, near Philadelphia, turned 105 years old on March 15, and was feted at her assisted living community by friends, family and fellow residents.

Centurione was born in Sardinia, Italy, and later moved to the United States at the age of five. She was married at the age of 20, and especially during tough times, she helped keep her family afloat. During both the Great Depression and World War Two, she sewed scarves to help make extra money. She also suffered a near-fatal health scare when she had young children.

Today, however, there’s a small dispute as to when her birthday actually is. According to the news sources, Centurione’s children say their mother always thought her birthday was March 12, but she later discovered her birth certificate has her being born on March 15. Their solution has been to celebrate both days in a birthday week.

Today, Centuirone lives at Wesley Enhanced Living assisted living community near Philadelphia, and has five children, 14 grandchildren, as well as 28 great-grandchildren and even two great-great grandchildren.