Beatitudes Campus’s six centenarians include, from left: bottom row, Margaret Blom (102), Olivette Frey (100), Mildred Bright (100), Edith Godfrey (100), and top row, Margaret Holloway (101) and Elvira “Vera” Owen (100) (submitted photo).

Margaret Blom, the campus’s oldest resident, is 102 and has lived at the Health Care Center for three years. She has been a member of the community since 1997 and is thought to be an “extremely polite, upbeat, and happy person” and is an excellent seamstress.
    Margaret Holloway turned 101 in January of this year and has been an Independent Living resident for more than 27 years. She is amazingly independent, even with some vision loss, and at 98 years of age she traveled with her niece to Nice, France to attend the grand opening of her daughter’s art exhibit.
    Elvira “Vera” Owen is 100 and also lives in Independent Living. She is a slight woman in stature but not in personality. Her mind is sharp as a tack and her apartment is clean as a whistle—she still does some of her own housekeeping and remains very mobile, using only a cane when needed.
    Edith Godfrey is also 100 and currently lives at Plaza View Assisted Living. She has been a campus resident since 2006 and staff commented, “Edith is so full of joy and every time you see her you cannot help but smile!”
    Another resident who has reached centenarian status is Olivette Frey who has lived at the Health Care Center for over a year and was a Plaza View Assisted Living resident for 5 years prior. She was a dedicated teacher for many years of her life and is a loving mother and grandmother.
    Another retired teacher, Mildred Bright, also is 100 and has been a campus resident since 1999 and currently lives at the Health Care Center. She was a collector of unique antique doorknobs and she commented, “My long life is due to good genes, good food, and good living.”
    The Beatitudes Campus coordinated the gathering of its “community treasures” as part of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging’s (AAHSA) inaugural homecoming celebration. Across the county, AAHSA not-for-profit members are opening their doors and hosting gatherings like this to honor the seniors they serve.