Long Island woman celebrates 104th birthday

A Long Island woman celebrated her 104th birthday last week. Belle Santora currently lives in East Norwich with a health aide. News 12 was invited to her birthday party, where she was surrounded by

News 12 Staff

Jun 28, 2015, 1:36 AM

Updated 3,225 days ago

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Long Island woman celebrates 104th birthday
A Long Island woman celebrated her 104th birthday last week.
Belle Santora currently lives in East Norwich with a health aide. News 12 was invited to her birthday party, where she was surrounded by friends and family spanning four generations. Among the guests were her son, granddaughter Jacqueline and her great-grandson, 2-year-old Joseph.
She was born in 1911 in a home on Anstice Street in Oyster Bay, and has called Long Island her home all her life. She says she even knew former President Theodore Roosevelt because he was a friend of her father's.
Santora attended collage at Pratt Institute, where she earned a degree in fashion design. She went on to land a job at Saks Fifth Avenue.
At the age of 25, Santora married Joseph, her husband of more than 40 years. He passed away in 1980.
Santora says her life had its ups and downs, but she is still going strong, even after breaking her hip this past April.
When asked what the secret to a long, healthy life is, Santora said, "Garlic, olive oil, red wine and love everybody, and you get love back."


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