Bristal Assisted Living Celebrates Resident's 107th Birthday

From the Bristal at Armonk:

The Bristal Assisted Living at Armonk, an assisted and independent living community that offers memory care support as well as enhanced levels of care, celebrated resident Marian Henry’s 107th birthday Thursday, May 5. She has lived through two World Wars, the Great Depression and the Great Recession, 19 U.S. Presidents, Lindberg crossing the Atlantic and men landing on the Moon.

“We were very excited to celebrate such a fantastic milestone yesterday at our Armonk community,” said George Solano, executive director at The Bristal at Armonk. “Marian is very outgoing and one of our most active residents. We congratulate her on her 107th birthday!”

Born May 5, 1909, Marian Henry lived in Brooklyn, N.Y. during her early childhood. Later, she moved to the Woodhaven area of Queens, then to the Middle Village area of Queens. She enjoyed playing hymns on the piano and attended Jamaica High School in Queens. Marian had four sisters and brothers within a 20-year age span. Her mother passed away when Marian was only 16 years old, leaving her and her sister to move into their own apartment and live independently at an early age.

After she graduated from high school, Marian went to business school and then began working for various attorneys as a secretary. Marian married her husband at the age of 21 with whom she later had a son and daughter. Her career naturally progressed to working on Wall Street as a broker for small, privately owned companies in the late 1950s. She started working on Wall Street when she was 49 years old and continued to work on Wall Street until she was 99 years old.

Marian says the secret to a long life is hard work.

“Like the hymn goes: Work, for the night is coming, when man works no more,” she said.

Her daughter says that she is a remarkable, strong woman who is optimistic and believes that a lot is possible through faith, prayer and hard work. “She has been blessed with good genes, good luck and the love of her family.”