ARDOMRE, PA (KYW Newsradio) — An Ardmore resident is about to turn 109.
Although Caroline Merrill’s official birthday is Sunday, PALM Center for Positive Aging held a celebration for her Friday afternoon, where her daughter presented her with a plane ticket to Chicago to visit some of her grandchildren.
Caroline has been an Ardmore resident since her birth in 1914.
“She was born into a family, one of the first black families to move to Ardmore, to buy a house in Ardmore,” said Carol Merrill-Bright, her 75-year-old daughter.
“She has [seen everything],” Carol said. “She talks about the first president that she voted for — I think it might have been Roosevelt, FDR.”
Merrill has lived through both world wars, two global pandemics, and every major world event in between and, since turning 100, she has traveled across the country and visited Europe twice.
Carol says over the years, her mom has lost many loved ones, but her positive outlook has helped her through difficult times.
“Sometimes, people were we're afraid to tell her that her brother died and I told her and she says, ‘I'm very sad, but that's that's life. That's part of life, and I still love him.’”
She says enjoying life is her secret to living long.
“Be kind to people; have a smile on your face and a song on your heart,” Caroline said.