Original Framingham Heart Study participant Agnes DeCenzo celebrates her 105th birthday

ASHLAND — For Agnes DeCenzo, everything is (still) wonderful.

Even at 105.

DeCenzo, who happens to be the last surviving original participant of the renowned Framingham Heart Study, marked her birthday Wednesday with about two dozen family, friends and staff at her current residence, Waterview Lodge Rehabilitation & Healthcare on West Union Street (Route 135) in Ashland.

"She's a real pistol," said DeCenzo's daughter, Joanna Renzi-Ramey. "She's an eternal optimist — I don't think I've ever found her to have a bad day. I really believe that's the secret to her longevity."

Renzi-Ramey said that if you throw your hands in the air, she does the same and responds, "Everything is wonderful."

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"And it's animated," Renzi-Ramey said, noting that her mother can no longer walk (she had hip surgery less than two years ago, at 103).

DeCenzo's good nature rubs off on fellow residents and staff at Waterview, according to Indira Desai, the facility's administrator.

"She gets the spirit up here," Desai said, adding that DeCenzo also keeps order among residents on her floor. "She's just so cute."

The former Agnes Martinelli was one of three girls raised in Natick by Italian immigrants who didn't speak English. The family ate food grown in their own backyard farm, a practice DeCenzo continued when raising her own family.

And by all accounts, she cooked great pasta dishes — she even made pizza on TV, according to her daughter.

"Agnes was the best Italian cook," said Caren (Gerden) Wilds, a close friend of Renzi-Ramey since age 6. "She always made me feel like part of the family."

As a young woman, DeCenzo moved to the section of South Framingham called Little Italy after marrying Henry Renzi. The couple raised two children — Dennis, now 73, and Renzi-Ramey, 67.

Henry Renzi worked at Natick Labs, while Agnes took jobs as a waitress and bank teller in addition to running the household.

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"Mom has always been active," Renzi-Ramey said. "She didn't exercise as in going to the gym, but she was always moving."

DeCenzo has also been an avid reader throughout her life, her daughter said.

"She's a really smart woman, she was always exercising her brain," Renzi-Ramey said. "You know those New York Times crossword puzzles? I could barely get two answers but Mom knew every random word."

But even at 105, DeCenzo isn't Framingham's oldest resident. That distinction goes to Mary Stanowicz, a resident at St. Patrick's Manor who turned 106 in December and is about 14 months older than DeCenzo.

Joining the Framingham Heart Study

In 1948, at age 30, DeCenzo began to frequently spend a few hours of her time participating in one of the most influential studies of human health in the world: the Framingham Heart Study.

The study began with more than 5,000 participants. It was unique at the time for the decision to include women, who comprised more than half of the first cohort. Original participants made up about two-thirds of all adults living in Framingham.

DeCenzo is the last surviving original participant.

"She felt it was a duty," said Renzi-Ramey, who later joined the study herself.

The Renzis were married for more than 50 years before Henry's death. But Agnes wasn't done pursuing her desire for travel and excitement.

"Mom married again at 85," Renzi-Ramey said of her union with Anthony "Tony" DeCenzo. "They were like teenagers. They went dancing, volunteered at the Callahan Center (Framingham's senior center) and joined a singing group called the Golden Tones. They'd get all dolled up and perform at senior centers."

DeCenzo's second husband died in 2009, at 95.

In more recent years, DeCenzo began to slow down a bit. She had lost one of her two sisters to Alzheimer's disease (the other is now 94), and for awhile Joanna and Dennis were fearing the worst.

"She's had a little bit of dementia — we were bracing for the worst but it never happened," said Renzi-Ramey, who recently moved back from California.

Dennis Renzi said the decision to move their mother into a nursing facility — a decision that is often resisted by older generations — went smoothly.

"She handled it so well," said Renzi, who had lived with his mother in Framingham before her move.

Again, that optimism.

"She loves loves to giggle, and she makes people laugh," Renzi-Ramey said. "The staff (at Waterview) loved her so much they even moved her room closer to nurse's station."

And on Wednesday, DeCenzo nibbled on cake, laughed and even flirted with those who caught her eye.

"Everybody wants them!" she exclaimed in regards to the several pieces of her birthday cake that lay on the table.

And then she laughed again.

Dan O'Brien is editor of the Daily News. Contact him at dobrien2@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Agnes DeCenzo, last original Framingham Heart Study subject, turns 105