SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, Pa. — Birthdays inside the Greenwood Center for Nursing and Rehab near Tamaqua are always a cause for celebration. But it's extra special when you're celebrating 108 years old.
Mary Wassil Rapach was born back on March 25, 1916.
"Can you imagine what she went through," said fellow resident Marion Link.
The stories Mary holds are like a history book. She was born as World War I raged on, when gas was just 22 cents a gallon. She lived through the Great Depression and survived two pandemics.
"She did lose her dad when she was 2 years old to the first pandemic. But she survived the first and the second. Two world wars, the coming down of the (Berlin) Wall, so many iconic moments in history," said Mary's granddaughter Melissa Longazel.
Mary married her late husband back in the 1940s. More than 80 years later, her granddaughter Melissa Longazel was there to celebrate this special birthday. She is one of Mary's nine grandchildren. Mary has more than 23 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
"She was the best cook, and she would can, and she would freeze stuff. Her garden was beautiful, and she had both a vegetable and a flower garden. It was like something out of Better Homes and Garden," Longazel added.
Mary now spends her days enjoying bingo alongside friends.
"I think her good heart—she's kind to everybody, and she's just a wonderful person," said fellow resident Margaret Desmedt.
She still dresses to the nines, including her specialty, a string of pearls. Her granddaughter said she was never caught without her necklace.
"She lived through a lot, but hard work and determination, I think, really helped her make it through and be a great person," added Longazel.
As Mary blows out the candles on another year, the birthday cake tastes even sweeter at 108 years old.