Mary Montminy at 101: 75-year age gap only makes her closer to twin granddaughters, 26

QUINCY – I've written many stories about some of the longest living South Shore residents and am impressed by how they meet life's challenges and their strong relationships with family members.

As their ages steadily increased to 100 and older, grandchildren often become central characters.

Amy Montminy, of Quincy, recently emailed: "For over 30 years, I have been reading The Patriot Ledger (now digital!) and follow your articles on our extraordinary senior citizens living in and around the South Shore. Thank you for sharing stories of so many wonderful people. As my mother-in-law, Mary Montminy, had birthday after birthday, I knew I would one day contact you."

The same joyful smile lasts through the years

Amy included several photographs of Mary as a senior at Dorchester High School in 1939 and now as a 101-year-old resident of Hancock Park assisted living residence in Quincy. It's fun to see the resemblance in her two joyful expressions, 84 years apart.

In her 102nd year, Mary is healthy, sharp, funny and lives an active life in her own apartment at Hancock Park. She exercises, joins social activities, takes walks with her walker and has always loved to read − two newspapers each day and several magazines.

Her son, Tom Montminy, a Quincy attorney, and daughters Carol Hyland, of Weymouth, and Maureen Tocchio, of Quincy, see her often and she receives a steady stream of visits from nine grandchildren and many nephews and nieces.

"My mother's long life has been built on faith, family and friends," Tom said.

Longevity does not run in the family; her mother died at age 50 of cancer when she was 15 and her father died a few years later at age 57 of a stroke. One of nine children, Mary was left to help care for her three younger siblings.

"She has always had a deep prayer life centered around the rosary and a terrific sense of humor has helped get her through life's many challenges," Tom said.

One photograph shows Mary with her two 26-year-old twin granddaughters, Julie and Jackie Montminy. She has had a very close bond with both since they were born.

"I loved them before I even saw them," Mary said.

Tom kidded, "She held the girls in her arms when they very little and we didn't think we were going to get them back from her."

Julie lives in Brighton and teaches math at the Codman Academy Charter Public School in Dorchester. Jackie lives in Cambridge where she teaches middle school.

How having twin granddaughters reinvigorated her

Mary was 75 when the twins arrived in 1997. Her husband, Al, had died three years earlier. Having the babies in her life "just reinvigorated her," Tom said. "She had gotten over the loss of my dad, but it was amazing to see her really come back to life."

She began by looking after the twins many Saturdays. She would call up Tom and Amy and say, "I want you two to go out and stay out, enjoy yourselves, have dinner, see a movie. I'll come over."

One funny family story is about the bedtime ritual. Mary loves to spin a tale spontaneously. She'd pull a chair up next to their beds and say, "Tell me what kind of a story do you want − scary, silly, adventure?" One night they asked for "scary" and after two minutes were calling out, "Nana, stop!" Too scary. Mary recalls that with a big smile.

Once the twins reached middle school, they would come to her apartment. She loved to bake and she taught them how to make chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip muffins and cornbread.

"We loved learning and she loved teaching us," Julie and Jackie said.

Those happy high school years in Dorchester

Mary Kenneally was born at Boston City Hospital on Feb. 7, 1922. Their father was a linotype operator for Banker & Tradesman, a weekly real estate newspaper. Of the nine siblings, Mary and her youngest sister, Claire, 90, who lives in Dorchester, are the only two still living. They talk several times a week.

Mary's maternal grandparents emigrated from Ireland and lived with the family. She recalls her high school years as happy times despite losing her mother.

"I grew up with lots of friends, both boys and girls. We would walk to the (Dorchester District) Courthouse and get an ice cream and sit on the wall," she said. "It was nice."

During World War II, her brothers served in the military. Mary contributed to the war effort by working for Hood Rubber Co. in Watertown, where self-sealing, bullet-proof gas tanks for Air Force fighter planes were made.

She taught herself bookkeeping and worked in the accounting department of a Boston clothing store. She was briefly married, divorced and managed as a single mother with a daughter for 13 years.

After teaching herself stenography, she landed a job as secretary to the financial controller for Supreme Market in Dorchester. Soon, she found someone was leaving warm sweet buns on her desk every morning when she arrived at work.

It was the head baker, Alphonse Montminy. He was a widower; they began dating. Soon she was driving his new 1957 Ford Fairlane and he was driving her old DeSoto because it had such large holes in the floorboard that the road was visible. They were married in 1958 with three children between them; in 1961, Tom was born.

They lived in Dorchester until 1960, when they built a home in a new neighborhood being developed in West Quincy near Cunningham Park in Milton. Mary was 72 when he died in 1994. She began to travel and took trips to Ireland, London, Paris and California and joined family vacations in Naples, Florida.

Then the twins arrived.

Jackie and Julie Montminy are drawn to many qualities in their Nana. She is funny, loves to tell stories and is interested in and relates to what they do. Foremost, they said they admire her resilience.

Hardships haven't dampened her sense of humor

"She is amazing. She has gone through a lot of hardships, she lost her mom, then her dad, then helped raise her younger brother and sisters, was married and divorced. And she has kept her sense of humor and her laugh and still has a quick, quirky wit," they said.

To this day, Nana loves to tell a story and the twins enjoy seeing and hearing how much she is enjoying it.

"And she does not look 101."

Remembering Weymouth teacher Lucy Kalaijian

Many of the people I interview stay in my thoughts long after. That was the case with Lucy Kalaijian, who died July 4 at her home in Weymouth at age 97. Of Armenian background, she was a lifelong Weymouth resident and taught English and business in the Weymouth schools for more than 25 years.

I first met Lucy in 2009 at the final reunion of her Weymouth High Class of 1943. I visited Lucy again in 2016 when she was 90. She spoke about her volunteering in the community and with the Friends of South Shore Hospital in Weymouth.

Lucy shared thoughtful opinions, was dedicated to helping others, always looked stylish and spoke well.

"My mother was a wonderful role model and my sister and I are so blessed to have had her in our lives for so long," her daughter Karen Kalaijian said. "I hope we represent her well."

Thank you, Lucy Kalaijian, for all you did for the younger generations and for your service to the community.

Reach Sue Scheible at sscheible@patriotledger.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: She was 75 when twin granddaughters were born. At 101, a tight bond