SHREWSBURY – Doris Paolini recently celebrated her 102 birthday – years of “living each day as it comes” – surrounded by her family and friends at the Shrewsbury Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
Paolini grew up in town and worked as a cook for the Shrewsbury Public Schools and then as a data processor for Massachusetts Electric in Westborough.
During the party Paolini sipped warm tea and mingled with her family and friends.
“I don’t feel like 102. I feel younger, I don’t know why, but I do. I feel in my heart that I shouldn’t be this old,” Paolini said. “When I see all of my children around me, I can’t believe the age that I am.”
She raised three children and has many grandchildren.
“She has joy in her heart and she has a positive attitude,” said her daughter Nancy. “I’ve always been confident that she would live this long.”
“Her motto in life is to take everything in stride and to have a lot of joy,” she added.
Her friend Dorothy Corcoran described her as “very friendly.”
“She loves to sing. She’s got a song in her heart,” she said.
Activities Director at Shrewsbury Nursing and Rehabilitation Center Gina Mastrogiovanni said, “It’s amazing” Paolini has lived until her 102 birthday.
“You wouldn’t think she’s 102 years old,” Mastrogiovanni said. “Doris still plays bingo and word games and comes to all of the events. She also sings, as she used to be a singer in a choir. Doris reminisces a lot about the past.”
She added, “Her family is unbelievable. They are so attentive to her needs and they are very supportive of her. They love their mother.”
Paolini shared her secret to living until 102.
“The only secret that I have for living this long is to live each day as it comes,” she said.
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