The River Rock Diner owner, Leon Anastasakos, comes out of the kitchen to give 104-year-old Naomi Gilbert a kiss on the hand, a tradition over the years. (Photo by Wendy Post)
On Tuesday, it was a day like any other day for Naomi Gilbert, who just celebrated turning 104! For her birthday gathering on Tuesday, her actually birth date being Wednesday, Gilbert made her way to the River Rock Diner in Owego.
Accompanied by an aide that cares for Gilbert, she slowly, but steadily entered the restaurant where a table, decorated with balloons and a banner awaited her.
And the celebration was not too far off of her routine! According to Carol Williams, who cares for Gilbert, part time, they go to the River Rock Diner every Tuesday and Thursday for lunch.
Williams also explained that Gilbert orders the same items off the menu each time, a hot dog and Cole slaw. And each week when Gilbert arrives for lunch the owner, Leon Anastasakos, comes out and kisses her hand.
“I think that keeps her coming back,” Williams added, noting that she loves the hot dogs, too.
Gilbert resides in Owego with her son and daughter-in-law, Charlie and Sue Gilbert.
When asked the secret of longevity, Gilbert, who is just as sharp as anyone, stated, “I walked a lot; I never drove. I did a lot of walking.”
When asked how she is feeling, at the ripe age of 104, Gilbert said, in a stern fashion, “I’m feeling like I always do; if I want to do something, I do it!”
One hundred and four year old Naomi Gilbert, of Owego, steadily walks to her table at River Rock Diner for a 104th birthday gathering on Tuesday. (Photo by Wendy Post)
The owner, who greeted Gilbert with a traditional kiss on her hand, stood nearby as Gilbert conversed with the small group of guests around her table.
He then stated, with a chuckle, “We’re almost up to one million hot dogs.”
Not really, but he did note that every time Gilbert has a birthday at the diner, he is having an anniversary.
“This is her third birthday celebration here, and our fourth anniversary,” Anastasakos added.
And we did learn a few fun facts about Gilbert. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she was born in 1914 in Tioga, Pa. She lived there for ten years, and then moved to Rochester to live with her aunts.
Because of personal hardships, they raised Gilbert until her dad bought a house in Hornell, where she eventually moved until she finished school and married her husband Lynn.
We also learned that she worked at Tally-Ho Music Camp in the Bristol Hills area, peeling potatoes for two or three summers.
She also knows how to tat, a craft using shuttle thread to create doilies and bookmarks in the shape of a cross.
“It’s what we learned in the country school,” said Gilbert of her tatting skills.
She also likes puzzles, word search, and playing solitaire with a good old deck of cards.
Gilbert also enjoys just getting out and going for a drive. Williams said that she even likes to stop and name things that she sees. For example, Williams added, she named the big wooden strawberry on Front Street “Strawberry Hollow.” She calls Draper Park the “River Ramble.”
And even though she’s 104, Gilbert keeps moving forward, and in a humble fashion.
When she was told that her photos were for the local paper, she looked over and asked, “But do you think anyone will read it?”
“Of course they will,” resounded in this riverfront diner, as even the guests in the restaurant took notice of this milestone celebration.
I read about your 104th birthday.. i live in Indiana. Happy Birthday Naomi Gilbert!
Grandma Gilbert…your such a beautiful lady. Your full of inspiration. Happy 104th…wish we all could have been there for you. Xoxo