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Wheaton woman celebrates 108th birthday
Most of us are just trying to make it through this Friday, but Nancy Rossi in Wheaton has made it through more than a century of them! She’s turning 108 today, and Lauren Scafidi is live in studio to share her secrets to a long life.
WHEATON - A Wheaton woman is proving age is just a number, and she’s doing it with a tiara, a dance move, and a handful of Tootsie Rolls.
Nancy Rossi turned 108 years old Friday, celebrating the milestone surrounded by decorations, music, and the people she loves most.
From flowers and balloons to a feather boa and a sparkling tiara, the party matched Rossi’s vibrant personality. And at 108, she’s still the life of it.
"I am a feisty person," Rossi said with a smile. "I don’t feel like 108."
She didn’t just say it, she showed it. Rossi danced her way through the celebration, shimmying and singing along to the music.
"I think young, and try to do things young, and that’s what keeps me going," she said.
Rossi has lived through more than a century of change, but some things haven't changed at all.
Like her sweet tooth.
Her birthday treat of choice? Tootsie Rolls. And not just one or two.
"Sometimes I have up to 20!" she said.
The milestone brought birthday wishes from across the country, including one that was close to her heart.
"My heart doctor called me and wished me happy birthday," Rossi said. "Imagine that!"
At 108, she admits she might forget a detail here and there.
"Was it 22 or was it more? I can’t remember now," she asked.
But there’s one thing she never forgets.
"Family, family, family," she said. "I was always for the family."
The celebration didn’t stop with family and friends. The City of Wheaton honored Rossi by officially declaring April 10 as "Nancy Rossi Day."
The Source: This story contains reporting from Fox Chicago's Lauren Scafidi.