In all, there were 987 years of life experience available to share from four centenarians and six nonagenarians — Patrick Munford, a saxophone player who provided some musical entertainment, was one of the youngsters in the room at 85.
From Carl Fox’s description of survival in a fox hole on the front lines of World War II during the conquest of Iwo Jima to Nardine Conti, 94, who said the secret to her longevity is “in the lasagne, it’s in the spaghetti, it’s in the pasta” she serves her family every Sunday when they get together at her house for dinner, each had wisdom to share about living life well and long.
Each of the elders had a story to tell to the relative spring chickens gathered with them at Dontino’s Fine Italian Cuisine restaurant Saturday afternoon.
All were the guests of Ward 2 Akron City Council Member Phil Lombardo, who hosted a birthday party of sorts for them at the longtime neighborhood restaurant on East Cuyahoga Falls Avenue in North Hill.
With two balloon arrangements sporting giant “100s” at the end of the room and a birthday cake waiting for dessert, the group chose between homemade Italian wedding soup or salad to start, along with a pasta main course for lunch – the smell of rich tomato red sauce soon filled the air.
“We have a lot of longevity in my life, in my family’s life, there’s a lot of longevity,” said host Lombardo as he started the festivities. “So I hope to be just like you some day. So it’s kind of good news for me. It might be bad news for Mrs. Lombardo over there,” he deadpanned, referring to his wife Peggy, who assisted with the party.
As he raised his water glass for a toast, he told the elders gathered in the room, “There’s something in the water here in North Hill.”
A celebration of Akron’s Ward 2 residents from 95 to 105
The idea for the party developed little by little, Lombardo said, as he got wind of “this 105 year old or this 104 year old” in North Hill’s neighborhoods. He tried to issue proclamations through City Council for them, but then thought, “You know what? We need to honor these people because they’re all in this Ward 2.”
“It started out with the five that are over a hundred, And then I thought, well, you know, 99 counts, well, 98 counts,” Lombardo chuckled. “Ninety-five to 105, I’m going to have a luncheon for you.” Lombardo was able to nail down everyone in his ward in that age range using data from the Summit County Board of Elections.
The tenth person he found, Carl Fox, 99, was out tinkering in his garage when Lombardo walked up. “What are you, out politicking?” Fox said. “No, I want to invite you to a luncheon,” Lombardo said. “I’m kinda busy on Saturdays,” Fox said, but he still made time to drive himself to the party as part of the 40 or so miles he drives each week.
Fox’s secret to living this long is that he is “still working. I love to mow the lawns, it always makes me feel good when I mow the lawns — it makes me feel like I’ve done something.” (Lombardo said Fox’s lawn is immaculate.)
He served on the front lines in WWII in the 5th Marine Division during the battle of Iwo Jima. “I’m damn lucky to be here today with all the bullets that went over my head,” Fox said.
The secrets to a long life, from those who are enjoying one
Frances Kubalak is 104 and will turn 105 in December. She said she tries to practice “moderation,” but she worked until she was 84 at her catering business.
John Collver, 98, a proud North High School graduate, said “good genes” are his key to a long life. Collver played basketball at Kent State from 1948 to 1950 with Bill Cox, the university’s third Black athlete, who was a flight mechanic for the Tuskegee Airmen. Collver and his son, Jim, who also attended the party, are involved in the Celtic Club Green Man Project, which is planning a number of activities to honor the 69 Tuskegee pilots from Ohio, including an event at the MAPS Museum in July.
Raymond Johns, who will turn 100 in August, said his secret is “to keep active and don’t sit around.” Lombardo said he runs into the World War II veteran, who served 2 ½ years in Europe, at the the Natatorium in Cuyahoga Falls “walking around the track” nearly every day between 5:30 and 6 a.m.
Purnima Magar spoke for her dad, 103-year-old Burja Magar, who she said never went to school and was a farmer originally from Nepal. The family has been in Akron for about 10 years. Magar was flanked by Purnima and his other daughter, Hom, throughout the event.
Helen Greene, 105, (the eldest at the party) attributes her longevity in part to her great-great-granddaughter. When Greene turned 100, her family couldn’t gather for her birthday celebration because of the COVID pandemic. Her great-great-granddaughter, who was about four years old at the time, said, “Don’t worry, Grandma, we’ll celebrate when you’re 105,” Greene said. “And I managed to get to 105.”
JoAnne Anderson, 92, a North High and University of Akron graduate, said she spent years helping others and took care of both of her parents when they became ill. She also worked at her church and said the help she once provided others is now coming back full circle to her as she needs it.
Anderson attended the party with her “dearest, dearest friend,” Gladys Ingersoll, 93, who has lived in North Hill for 61 years. Ingersoll said she’s a member of St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church on South Hawkins Avenue — she chuckled as she said she doesn’t “attend that much, but I send my tithes.”
And for Norma Testa Derita, Saturday really was a birthday party, as she turned 100 on Wednesday. Derita has lived on the same street in North Hill, in two different houses, for her entire life. Her secret? “Italian living.”
