Happy 100th: Sharpe says ‘moderation’ in all things leads to a long life
MEL TOADVINE Hazel Sharpe turned 100 years old on Friday.
Hazel Sharpe, formerly of Lehigh, and now a resident in an assisted living complex on Forum Boulevard, just outside Lehigh, celebrated her 100th birthday this past weekend.
There was a cake and other goodies for family and friends at the Discovery Village at the Forum at 2619 Forum Blvd., in Fort Myers, just outside Lehigh. Sharpe, uses a wheelchair to get around; she moved to Lehigh back in the 1980s, long before its population has exploded to near 100,000 people as it is today.
Sharpe is originally from New York and turned 100 on Sept. 11. The staff at Discovery Village at the Forum said they had a nice gathering for Sharpe and her friends at the assisted living complex.
Sharpe was a teacher for some 20 years and she also worked on Wall Street in New York City.
She has a daughter who lives in Fort Myers.
“I call her ‘Patty’ and she’s a sweetheart,” Sharpe said. Although her memory is not what it used to be, she smiled broadly and said she sees her daughter a lot.
Patty comes almost every afternoon and has tea with her mother.
Sharpe lived at Fountaincrest for a while and moved to Discovery Village at the Forum.
When asked what she owed her long life to, Sharpe thought for a minute or so and said she believed in doing everything in moderation.
“I take some medication but I am in good health,” she said.
“I never believed in being extravagant. I worked hard for a lot of years.”
Sharpe was first married to Ernie Parsons, but he passed away around 60 years ago. She was married for the second time to Alan Sharpe who died in 1997 in Lehigh.
“A lot of people would remember him,” Sharpe’s daughter said.
Her mother can wheel herself to the dining room and she really likes where she lives now, she said.
While living in Lehigh, she was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church and on Sundays, members of the church visit her and often sign hymns to her.
Sharpe said she doesn’t hear as well as she used to, but that happens when you get older, she acknowledged.
“I like it here very much. The staff that works here are wonderful people and they treat me nicely,” Sharpe said.
About early Lehigh, Sharpe had this to say.
“It was a fairly good little town when I first moved there. There was very little traffic and the people were nice,” she said.
But her loss of memory prevented her from recalling a lot of the things she did in Lehigh.
“I’m happy to be alive,” she said. “I just can’t remember a lot about my life now.”
Happy 100th: Sharpe says ‘moderation’ in all things leads to a long life
MEL TOADVINE Hazel Sharpe turned 100 years old on Friday.
Hazel Sharpe, formerly of Lehigh, and now a resident in an assisted living complex on Forum Boulevard, just outside Lehigh, celebrated her 100th birthday this past weekend.
There was a cake and other goodies for family and friends at the Discovery Village at the Forum at 2619 Forum Blvd., in Fort Myers, just outside Lehigh. Sharpe, uses a wheelchair to get around; she moved to Lehigh back in the 1980s, long before its population has exploded to near 100,000 people as it is today.
Sharpe is originally from New York and turned 100 on Sept. 11. The staff at Discovery Village at the Forum said they had a nice gathering for Sharpe and her friends at the assisted living complex.
Sharpe was a teacher for some 20 years and she also worked on Wall Street in New York City.
She has a daughter who lives in Fort Myers.
“I call her ‘Patty’ and she’s a sweetheart,” Sharpe said. Although her memory is not what it used to be, she smiled broadly and said she sees her daughter a lot.
Patty comes almost every afternoon and has tea with her mother.
Sharpe lived at Fountaincrest for a while and moved to Discovery Village at the Forum.
When asked what she owed her long life to, Sharpe thought for a minute or so and said she believed in doing everything in moderation.
“I take some medication but I am in good health,” she said.
“I never believed in being extravagant. I worked hard for a lot of years.”
Sharpe was first married to Ernie Parsons, but he passed away around 60 years ago. She was married for the second time to Alan Sharpe who died in 1997 in Lehigh.
“A lot of people would remember him,” Sharpe’s daughter said.
Her mother can wheel herself to the dining room and she really likes where she lives now, she said.
While living in Lehigh, she was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church and on Sundays, members of the church visit her and often sign hymns to her.
Sharpe said she doesn’t hear as well as she used to, but that happens when you get older, she acknowledged.
“I like it here very much. The staff that works here are wonderful people and they treat me nicely,” Sharpe said.
About early Lehigh, Sharpe had this to say.
“It was a fairly good little town when I first moved there. There was very little traffic and the people were nice,” she said.
But her loss of memory prevented her from recalling a lot of the things she did in Lehigh.
“I’m happy to be alive,” she said. “I just can’t remember a lot about my life now.”
Lehigh News
School district, UF partner in dual enrollment program
GCM Contracting Solutions partners with LCEC on new West Cape Coral Service Center
