Carnegie Native Celebrates 100th Birthday

Anna Valloric, a resident of Sunrise of Upper St. Clair, celebrated her 100th birthday last week with fellow residents, friends and family with dinner, cake and a champagne toast.

Anna lived on her own in Carnegie until just this past year. She was born on Third Street in Carnegie on Dec. 11, 1912. Her parents, Rose and Albin Mraz, emigrated from Austria-Hungary (present day Slovak Republic) in 1910. She is the mother and mother-in-law to Jack and his wife, Sylvia, of Arlington, VA and Jim and his wife, Diane, of South Fayette.

After attending Carnegie High School and graduating from Curry Business College in 1928, she married and moved to the Ohio valley near Bellaire, OH, where she lived and worked during the Great Depression. In 1940 she returned to Carnegie supporting the war effort by working second shift in a bomb fin factory on the North Side.

Later Anna took employment with the A.J. Weinstein Co. in Carnegie as a seamstress. In time, she became the business office and payroll manager, and “Girl Friday” to the Weinstein family.

After a 35-year career with the Weinstein’s, she retired in 1978 to care for her mom at home.

Anna enjoys reading, sewing, crocheting, and knitting. But what brought the most joy was driving, especially on family vacations to Florida. Her pride was “Suzy”—a 1984 VW Rabbit that she confidently took on weekly trips until her 97th birthday.

Her advice to others who wish to live to 100 years of age?

"I worked until I was 67, lots of reading, and spending time with family and traveling—you must see Portugal, I stayed there for one week!" she said.