Manlius woman celebrates 104th birthday

TOWN OF MANLIUS – Brookdale Manlius resident Mary Berry celebrated her 104th birthday surrounded by family and friends on Oct. 30.
Reflecting on her special day, which this year happened to be graced by unseasonably warm weather for autumn, Berry said she “can hardly believe” she reached the 100 mark, let alone the age of 104.
“We all strive to be 100—that seems to be a magic number, and I made that and never stopped,” Berry said. “I never expected it of course, but you have to put one foot ahead of the other and every day just keep going.”
Originally from the Watkins Glen area, Berry grew up through the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, and all the wisdom and life experience that comes with being 104 gives her plenty to think about and remember, sometimes fondly, sometimes not so fondly.
She has happy memories of hopping on a horse-drawn cutter and making the mile trip from her family farm to the grocery store as a young girl, carving a path through the heavy snow.
She went on to have two sons with her first husband, Kenny, but along came the draft and he went off to war. She later learned from a telegram she received that he died in the Battle of the Bulge, only nine months into his military service.
Just when she thought her father could fill in and help to raise her boys after Kenny’s death, her dad died at 52.
With her second husband, Jimmy, to whom she was married 64 years until his passing, Berry had two more children, and both were there at Brookdale Manlius for the party that day.
Despite tragedy and “lots of bumps” along the way, Berry said in general the 104 years of her life have been well-enjoyed.
“I’m just happy that I have the family I do have left,” she said. “There’s nothing like family.”
Her youngest son, David, and her daughter Patty described their mom as sharp-minded for 104, very strong and stable emotionally, and as easy to converse with as anyone.
Wherever Berry goes, she tends to be the oldest person in the room—aside from at Brookdale Manlius, where World War II veteran Stan Stanley has her beat by one year—but to this day she still says she has more energy than there are things to do in a day.
But that comes as no surprise, since throughout her life, she’s always been active, taking up jobs as a school bus driver and a sales clerk at different times and working well into her 80s.
For hobbies, Berry has also loved to paint, knit, and play blackjack and Scrabble.
Her son David, who said he hopes the genes having to do with longevity were passed down, said his mother was always a great cook and baker who spoiled her kids, giving special mentions to her goulash, potato salad, graham cracker pie and chocolate chip cookies.
Speaking of sweets, the afternoon birthday celebration also featured cupcakes made by Brookdale’s dining department and plenty of Werther’s Originals to go around.