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May 25--Fannie Adler Greenberg turned 111 yesterday with a tiara on her head, costume jewelry on her wrists and her 95-year-old boyfriend by her side.
Dressed comfortably but fashionably in a long skirt and a jacket adorned with a silver pin, Greenberg didn't have much to say at a party thrown for her at The Regency at Glen Cove, where she lives. But family and friends shared her secrets for a long and happy life.
Greenberg never smoked, drank or drove a car, they said. And she told her family to wash their food before making a meal.
"She said, 'Don't eat at restaurants,'" said granddaughter Ronda Fischer of Old Bethpage.
Born on May 24, 1895, when Grover Cleveland was president, Greenberg was raised in Ottawa, Ontario, the eldest of five children - all of whom lived into their 90s and beyond. Her last remaining sibling, Max Adler of Ottawa, is 96.
Greenberg is New York's second oldest resident, behind only Rosaria Caleca, who turned 111 on Feb. 5, according to the Gerontology Research Group. Greenberg is the 20th oldest American and the 47th oldest person in the world, according to the group's Web site. The world's oldest person is Maria Capovilla of Ecuador, who was born on Sept. 14, 1889.
Greenberg moved to New York after agreeing to marry Austrian immigrant Aaron Greenberg on May 3, 1923. The couple raised two daughters in Brooklyn while Aaron worked as a movie projectionist. He died in 1978 at 82. One daughter, Judith Square of Brooklyn, died four years ago at 78.
Tales of Greenberg's vitality were told and retold yesterday. Last year, she danced at her birthday party. At 102, she was still running around the backyard to play with children. On her 105th birthday, she was handed a cane, but refused to use it.
"Someone said, 'You should have a cane,'" said Gloria Landsberg, a Great Neck neighbor of Greenberg's surviving daughter, Claire Rivers. "She carried it - never touched the ground."
She was lifted to her feet yesterday by Rivers, two granddaughters and aide Kamala Singh while residents and staff at the assisted-living facility sang "Happy Birthday." A cake was rolled out with three candles lined up side by side to form the number 111.
Sitting quietly a few rows away was Tom Aiello, 95, who befriended Greenberg soon after he moved into the Regency four years ago. The former Brooklyn pastry shop worker called her "a wonderful woman.
"She's happy," he said. "I put my arm around her and I give her a kiss. It makes her feel happy. She tells everyone, 'That's my boyfriend.' "
Around the Regency, Greenberg is known for smiling often and dressing up every day, no matter what the occasion. Her daughter was surprised to hear she recently wore pants instead of a dress.
"She gets around pretty well, God bless her," Aiello said.
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