Century of smiles

Surrounded by family and friends, Emma Louise Watkins celebrated her 100th birthday Thursday evening with a little champagne, a piece of birthday cake, and a ham-and-cheese sandwich. In that order.

She loves ham, so maybe Emma Louise was just saving the best for last.

Neighbor Dorothy Holmes hosted the birthday celebration in her apartment at Villa Balboa in Newport Beach, where Emma Louise and most of the invited guests live.

Spirited, witty, funny, generous, caring, loving, smart and independent are just some of the adjectives the intimate group in Holmes’ living room used to describe the birthday girl.

Charles Lamb lives next door to Emma Louise, Pierre Masson lives next door to Lamb and is Holmes’ significant other. This energetic and vibrant group of young 80somethings looks after each other; they socialize and provide just as much of a lifeline for Emma Louise as the medical alert bracelet she wears.

Emma Louise doesn’t see very well any more, and uses a walker since having hip replacement surgery five years ago. But that doesn’t stop her from making her own breakfast each morning, doing her own dishes and making sure the people closest to her are up as early as she is.

Wake-up calls are the first order of her day. Emma Louise calls her daughter Phyllis Wahlberg, son Roy Watkins, and her friend and caregiver, Jeanne Boetto, bright and early.

Those phone calls are not without some element of drama and humor.

When Boetto answers the phone, what she hears is usually, “Hi. I’m still alive,” from Emma Louise.

As far as Roy’s response, well, sometimes it’s Roy and sometimes it isn’t. Emma Louise is prone to misdialing the same number, and she has developed a nice relationship with the man she calls who isn’t Roy.

Wahlberg said her mother has lived a rich and full life. Born in Vancouver, Canada, in 1908, Emma Louise moved to Southern California in 1922 and married Roy Watkins, a boy she met at a church function, in 1931.

Longtime residents of Newport Beach, Roy and Emma Louise were married 54 years, and traveled extensively until Roy’s death in 1985.

Traveling all over Europe is among her favorite memories. She recounted in vivid detail the sight she saw while eating dinner with her husband at a restaurant outside of St. Mark’s Basilica, the cathedral of Venice.

“It was so beautiful. The moon was so bright I didn’t want to go home.”

Emma Louise leads a quieter life these days, though it’s not as simple as it used to be. Just trying to shop at the grocery store can be a huge pain in the you-know-what.

“I went to the Vons not too long ago and asked where I could find a bottle of cranberry juice. They asked me what flavor I wanted. That was absolutely stupid. I wanted cranberry juice,” she pointed out. Telling stories, sharing her experiences and laughing about her mishaps is something else Emma Louise does very well.

One of her favorite stories revolves around the Lifeline medical alert bracelet she wears. That bracelet, and her friend, Charles Lamb, came to her rescue after a little mishap last year.

Lamb has a key to her apartment and is the emergency contact number the Lifeline people know to call if Emma Louise pushes the button.

One lazy Sunday afternoon, after lunch of, probably, a ham-and-cheese sandwich, Emma Louise fell asleep at the dining room table.

When she woke up, alone and dazed, she said she had no idea on Earth where she was.

Gathering her wits about her, she quickly realized she was somewhere between the wall and the floor, underneath her dining room table. She wasn’t hurt, but she knew she wasn’t going to have a change of scenery all too soon unless she got some help.

She buzzed the Lifeline people, and they called Charles, who showed up with a friend, peeled Emma Louise up off the floor, dusted her off and suggested she might start eating lunch on the couch.

Boetto said Emma Louise is an inspiration to everyone who knows her, young and old.

Her 9-year-old grandson Tristan comes with her sometimes to visit Emma Louise, and enjoys the time he spends with her. He’s impressed by her age, Boetto said.

“He’ll tell her, ‘You know, Miss Emma, you’re my oldest friend.’”

With a daughter, son, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, Wahlberg said her mother is truly the matriarch of the Watkins family.

Ask Emma Louise what her secret to longevity is, and you’ll get a simple answer.

“Don’t ever think of your age. Every day, think of your blessings, and be thankful.”

SUE THOENSEN may be reached at (714) 966-4627 or at [email protected].