She outlived her husband by more than 50 years, raised four children as a widow, and drove a vehicle until she was 97 years old.
Dorothy Wilczynski, who turns 100 on Sunday, shrugs when asked what the secret is to her longevity.
“I haven’t really thought about it. I don’t feel like I’m going to be 100,” said Mrs. Wilczynski, who lives in skilled nursing at St. Clare Commons in Perrysburg.
Margaret Buckmaster, one of her daughters, is in awe.
“I can’t believe she’s going to be 100. She’s amazing. She still has her wits about her,” Mrs. Buckmaster said.
Family and friends will gather Sunday at the Perrysburg facility to celebrate the special occasion. Among those who will be attending her birthday party are nine grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Wilczynski doesn’t have any sage advice or wisdom to impart on how she reached the centenarian milestone. No daily shot of whiskey, avoidance of red meat, or eating healthy.
“I always eat what I want,” she said.
When pressed, she admits to loving mashed potatoes, ice cream, and coffee.
A positive outlook on life also helps. She has always avoided talking about politics, or watching it on TV.
“It’s just too negative,” she said.
Instead, she prefers watching more wholesome TV fare, such as Little House on the Prairie and The Waltons.
She’s encountered little to no health issues along the way, other than a thyroid condition for which she takes medication.
Genetics don’t seem to play a factor in her longevity either. The oldest of three children, Mrs. Wilczynski outlived her brother and sister by decades. Her mom had a stroke and was an invalid in a nursing home when she died at 60. Her father died soon after.
Son Dave Wilczynski said his mom has stayed active for as long as he can remember. She danced the polka every weekend and worked for more than 25 years at the Bungalow, a former restaurant on Airport Highway, he said.
“When she was living in an apartment at 98 years old, she used the stairs instead of the elevator,” Mr. Wilczynski said. A fall in her apartment prompted the move to St. Clare Commons.
A devout Catholic, her religious faith may have played a role as well.
“She made her kids go to church every week too,” Mr. Wilczynski said.
Growing up on a farm in Swanton milking the cows and doing other chores also probably helped, said Mrs. Buckmaster, who calls her mother every day from her home in Florida.
“I think that contributes to her well-being,” she said. “She’s always worked hard all her life.”
Charli Worley, a certified nursing assistant at St. Clare Commons, said Mrs. Wilczynski can be pretty stubborn.
“She’s Miss Independent and spunky. She means what she says and says what she means. But she’s a sweetheart,” Ms. Worley said.
Mrs. Wilczynski was 44 when she became a widow and was forced to raise four children on her own. At the time, Mrs. Buckmaster was 14, her sister was 18, her special-needs brother was 11, and her baby brother was 9.
“My mom is a very strong-willed woman. She did a wonderful job raising us, and we are all upstanding adults,” Mrs. Buckmaster said.
“She had a hard life,” Mr. Wilczynski said, “but she never once complained about anything.”
What are some of her favorite things to do at the facility?
“Oh, I love playing bingo,” Mrs. Wilczynski said. “I always liked it.”
“She’s pretty good at it too,” Mr. Wilczynski.said.
Mrs. Wilczynski wondered whether she would be able to blow out all the candles on her birthday cake Sunday. With a smile and a twinkle in her eyes, she decided it wasn’t going to be a problem.
“I’ll have a lot of people around me to help,” she said.
First Published March 14, 2025, 11:30 a.m.
