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Community Corner

Local Woman Turns 100

Anna Zwergel became a centenarian and her family came in for the birthday celebration.

Anna Zwergel celebrated her 100th birthday on Sunday at the Broadmore Senior Living at Lakemont Farms in South Fayette.

Friends and family, some from as far away as Arizona, came out to Broadmore to celebrate with food and cupcakes. Zwergel raised two daughters, Ceil Kitchen and Margaret Zwergel, both now living in Scott Township, and the centenarian has three grandchildren, Rich, Deb and Bob. She also has a new great grandchild named Eli.

Zwergel grew up in Homewood and Wilkinsburg, and worked in a dental office, and later for a florist. But she stayed at home to raise her kids after Ceil was born.

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“My dad died in 1963 when I was 16," Kitchen said. "Mom had to raise us pretty much on her own."

Zwergel took care of her daughter Margaret, who has Down Syndrome, and the two lived together until two years ago. Anna became a resident at Broadmore, and Margaret moved into a facility in Scott.

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Kitchen didn’t know the secret of her mother's longevity, but commented, “She had a beer every night. On a bad night, she had two.”

The family gathered around Anna and reminisced about old times.

“One of my earliest memories of my Aunt Anna was she took me to the dentist and I had my teeth cleaned for a dollar," Margaret Enouen said.

Cards and letters poured in to mark the occasion. Her nephew Bill  Enouen, 84, sent a lovely letter full of love and best wishes. Willard Scott, of NBC’s Today Show, even sent a letter congratulating Zwergel on her nowfound status as a centenarian.

“Cards for a 100th birthday are hard to find," Enouen joked.

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