North Adams Woman Celebrates 100 Years

Elizabeth "Betty" Prenguber celebrated her 100th birthday with friends and family Saturday.

iBerkshires.com reports the world was much different in 1918 the year she was born: Woodrow Wilson was president; World War I had ended, and the Boston Red Sox won their last World Series until 2004.

"As long as she is smiling I know she is OK … just a super lady very supportive of her family and a very supportive mother," her son, Joseph Prenguber, said. "… She always put her family first."

Her birthday was Aug. 15 but the family held a special party at Joseph's house in Clarksburg on Saturday and state Rep. John Barrett III presented her with a certificate from the state House of Representatives.

The daughter of Nicholas and Catherine DelNegro, Joseph said his mom was the last surviving sibling of their 13 children. She and her late husband, Joseph P. Prenguber, were married May 3, 1941, in St. Anthony's Church. Her husband died in 2002.

Betty's daughter, Patricia Allen, said age never stopped her mother from seeing the world and helping others. At age 80, she toured Italy and, at 90, was still driving and volunteering at the hospital and nursing home.

Joseph said his mom was never one to act her age.

"She was 91 years old and she was volunteering at that time at the nursing home," he said. "I was visiting her one day and asked her what she did that day and she said she wheeled old people around in their wheelchairs. I said, 'mom you are the old people' she was older than the people she was wheeling around."

Betty didn’t have any specific advice for reaching 100 but did say it helps to laugh a lot.