At the age of 102, Edith Libby is the oldest resident at all of Avesta’s 68 properties. She’s lived at New Marblehead North in Windham since it opened in 1989, and has outlived her husband, her son and her siblings. We asked Edith to share her story with us last year when she turned 101. She told us about leaving her hometown of Rumford despite her parents’ wishes, living on crackers and marshmallows through the Great Depression, and supporting her family after her husband was injured at work.

Now she spends lots of time knitting. It began as a way to make money, and then became a way for her to give back. She’s donated knit clothing to newborns and patients undergoing chemotherapy at Mercy Hospital, for which she received two Governor’s Service Awards.

On Tuesday, Edith was one of six New Marblehead residents who are 90 and older honored with a birthday celebration. The community’s Friendship Club — a group of residents who organize activities — decorated the community room with flowers cut from their gardens and organized a lunch of finger sandwiches, chips, cake and ice cream. Each 90+-year-old received a card and a plant. Three of those six people were able to attend the luncheon in their honor along with a guest.

They also shared their advice for a long life, including “Keep busy,” “have fun,” and “just don’t worry about everything.”

While Edith wasn’t able to attend the luncheon, she was able to receive a plaque commemorating her as Avesta’s oldest resident. The plaque will hang in the New Marblehead community room. Edith was still keeping busy on Tuesday, teaching a visitor how to knit and knitting a scarf herself that she planned to give to a friend — thinking of others as she always has.

By Mindy Woerter, Communications Manager