FEBRUARY 2022
The elder stateswomen of PPH “That’s 206 years of greatness right there!” These were the words of Maintenance Technician Antwine Johnson as two of PPH's centenarians walked together down a hallway one afternoon late last year. Cecelia Amato, 104, and Marcella Fellin, 102, are longtime friends who can often be found walking together to pick up dinner, feeding hungry koi fish on a cool summer evening, or just having a chat on a bench. “Marcella and I always walk together. She loves to talk to everybody. She stops and talks to this person and that person. I walk ahead and then she catches up,” Cecelia said. Cecelia and Marcella met years ago at St. Martin’s seniors’ group. They enjoyed line dancing, pinochle, and the companionship of fellow seniors. And the fun they had wasn’t just confined to St. Martin’s. “Sis [Cecelia] drove her car up until she was 100 years old!” Marcella explained. “She used to take us from St. Martin’s out to lunch, driving up Roosevelt Blvd. like it was nothing!” The often busy and chaotic Roosevelt Blvd. certainly never fazed Cecelia. For one, she lived just a few
Marcella Fellin and Cecelia Amato share a laugh. The two centenarians are longtime friends who both love the amenities and companionship that PPH has to offer. (Masks removed for photo)
blocks off the boulevard for many years. And second, she had no choice but to learn how to drive in the 1940s when she began working in her father’s bakery in Ardmore, Pa. once her brothers went off to serve in WWII. Cecelia said that one of the keys to longevity is eating healthy and not smoking. “What you eat is very important,” she said. She kept mentally active for years by playing pinochle three days a week with friends, only slowing down recently because of some vision difficulties. Marcella toured five other senior living communities, but ultimately
came to the realization that PPH was the best fit for her; she was familiar with many aspects of the community and friendly with many residents. “PPH has everything. It’s like a little city you’re living in. You have your bank, you have your post office, you have your gift shop,” Marcella said. One of PPH's biggest draws for Marcella was the swimming pool: she swam regularly as a guest — when the pool was in what is now Pathways’ pharmacy — prior to choosing PPH as her new home 16 years ago. Her enjoyment of swimming goes back to when she was a young girl Friends >>Page 7
In This Issue...
l Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service l PPH Gives l Black History Month preview
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