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Schuylkill County Woman Celebrates 100th Birthday

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Out of all the birthdays Anna Panchari has had, this is one of the biggest. “It surprised me,” Panchari said. “I didn...

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN -- Out of all the birthdays Anna Panchari has had, this is one of the biggest.

"It surprised me," Panchari said. "I didn't know this was going to go on. They came into my room and they said, 'Come on, get ready. Get out of bed.'"

She lives at Rosewood Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Schuylkill Haven. All of her fellow residents are throwing her a party for her 100th birthday.

"It's not every day someone turns 100," Panchari's nurse Jessica Geary said. "A century old."

Anna's birthday was actually last month, but staff said she had a cold, so they're celebrating it now.

Panchari was born and raised in Schuylkill County. She grew up in Seltzer, near Minersville. She is Lithuanian.

"She speaks Lithuanian," Geary said. "She came from Lithuania and does speak it very fluently. She does try to teach us words, but in Dutch country, we don't pick them up so easy."

She spent most of her life working as a Lithuanian tour guide and as a housekeeper. Now, she spends most of her days enjoying the outdoors while feeding birds and making others smile.

"She socializes with all the other residents and she really has it together for 100 years old," Rosewood Activity Director Kathey Deatrich said. "At the facility, we love her."

Newswatch 16 asked Panchari what her secret was to living such a long and successful life. She had this to say:

"Working hard," Panchari said. "That's all I ever did."

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