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HANOVER TWP. — When asked her secret to long life, centenarian Helen Partilla had two pieces of advice: stay single and eat a lot of vegetables.

Partilla, who celebrated her 100th birthday Sunday at R&D Memories surrounded by more than 90 people, lives on Blackman Street in Wilkes-Barre, in the same house in which she was born. She still cleans and has a good appetite.

When Wilkes-Barre’s mayor Tony George showed up to read a proclamation and declare “Helen Partilla Day,” Partilla kept her composure, smiling graciously and thanking him for coming.

“I grew up on Horton Street right around the corner,” George said.

“I know,” Partilla said. “I remember.”

Niece Ruth Narcum, of Hunlock Creek, remembers her Aunt Helen getting dressed up to go on dates.

“She was gorgeous,” Narcum said. “She still is.”

Still, Narcum said, Partilla made a lot of sacrifices.

“She took very good care of my grandmother,” she said. “She would never leave her.”

When asked who planned the party, Narcum said Partilla did much of it herself.

“She knew what she wanted to be served,” she said. “And she had a list of those to be invited. She’s still sharp as a tack.”

Partilla hasn’t lost her sense of humor, either. She recounts crossing Blackman Street a few years ago with her walker, likening herself to Moses parting the Red Sea.

“I just stood there and cars on one side stopped and then on the other side,” she said. “After I got across the street, I waved to both sides.”

Partilla attended GAR High School and worked at A. Rifkin & Co. as a department floor lady. She was president of the Dorcas Guild for 23 years and president of the United Lutheran Society for 42 years.

Still, she said, many of her accomplishments could not be measured in years, but consisted of relationships she fostered with neighbors, friends and family.

“I’m not lonely,” she said. “I have a lot of friends. I see them in person and we talk on the phone.”

Niece Becky Durland, of Tunkhannock, shared her earliest memory of her aunt, remembering being about 5 years old and jumping rope with her aunt holding her during a family party.

Durland said Partilla recently gave up driving, a skill she didn’t learn until she was 65 years old.

“She didn’t have anyone to drive her where she wanted to go, so she got her license and bought a car,” Durland said.

Nephew Jonathan Mihoch returns from Ohio several times a year to help his aunt.

“She always has a list,” he said. “And if she sends you to get something from the cellar, she knows right where it is.”

Michael Handzo came in from Maryland to attend the special event.

He remembers living next door to Partilla as a youngster.

“If I got upset with my parents, I would go next store to Aunt Helen and my grandmother,” he said. “She was my aunt and an aunt to everyone.”

Great nephew David Handzo said no one is surprised Partilla has lived to be 100.

“Just think of all the things that she saw in her lifetime,” Handzo said. “The invention of the television, voicemail, computers and cell phones.”

Handzo said when Partilla’s parents purchased their house on Blackman Street, they didn’t have indoor plumbing, but, instead, used an outhouse.

“But, the outhouse had a pull handle on it,” he said, smiling. “So the neighbors thought they were rich.”

Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George reads a proclamation at Partilla’s party at R&D Memories Banquet Hall.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_helen1_faa-1.jpg.optimal.jpgWilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George reads a proclamation at Partilla’s party at R&D Memories Banquet Hall. Fred Adams | For Times Leader

Partilla looks at the cake made for her 100th birthday party.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_helen2_faa-1.jpg.optimal.jpgPartilla looks at the cake made for her 100th birthday party. Fred Adams | For Times Leader

Helen Partilla enjoys a laugh with Irene Courtney. The two women have known each other for 43 years and are members of the same church.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_helen4_faa-1.jpg.optimal.jpgHelen Partilla enjoys a laugh with Irene Courtney. The two women have known each other for 43 years and are members of the same church. Fred Adams | For Times Leader

Alan and Caitlin Sofranko pose with Partilla, their great-aunt, for a photo.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_helen5_faa-1.jpg.optimal.jpgAlan and Caitlin Sofranko pose with Partilla, their great-aunt, for a photo. Fred Adams | For Times Leader

Helen Partilla, of Wilkes-Barre, blows out the candles on her birthday cake in celebration of her 100th birthday Sunday at a party in Hanover Township.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_helen3_faa-1.jpg.optimal.jpgHelen Partilla, of Wilkes-Barre, blows out the candles on her birthday cake in celebration of her 100th birthday Sunday at a party in Hanover Township. Fred Adams | For Times Leader

By Geri Gibbons

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Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons.