Longtime East Rockaway resident celebrates 100th birthday

"It's all about me, I've done it, I've seen it, I've lived it and I'm still rocking it," reads the back of longtime East Rockaway resident Virginia Walsh's 100th birthday celebration T-shirt. Walsh was born on May 19, 1917.

She celebrated her milestone birthday surrounded by more than 100 family members and friends, who gathered at her home in East Rockaway for a party on May 20.

Walsh received many gifts, including a citation signed by Town of Hempstead Supervisor Anthony Santino commemorating her birthday. She was also given a book of all of the New York Times front-page stories that ran on her birthday every year from 1917 to 2017. It showed the various articles and pieces of history written on her birthday in her lifetime. The book was dedicated to Walsh and is entitled, "The Times of Your Life — Virginia Walsh."

Walsh and her Husband, Howie, bought their first home in Levittown, but she said they were looking for a small town with charm and values, and decided to move to East Rockaway in 1955. There, they raised their three daughters Ginger, Patsy and Barbara.

In 1959, Walsh began working as the guidance secretary at East Rockaway Junior-Senior High School. "I loved it, really,” she said. “The kids were great and I liked it very much.” She recalled that she saw many smiling faces and helped students with their college applications throughout the years. She retired in 1981.

The village of East Rockaway has transformed over the years, Walsh noted. When she first moved there, Atlantic Avenue did not exist. The major road through town was Main Street. Walsh said she also helped to fund the campaign to transform St. Raymond's small wooden church into the brick building that is standing today.

Walsh remembers family celebrations at the East Point Inn, once a landmark in East Rockaway, which was torn down in 2004. It was located across from where The Reel seafood restaurant stands today.

Walsh has seen many staples of East Rockaway come and go, such as a Friendly's, which is now the Italian restaurant Villa Maria on Main Street, the Criterion Movie Theater on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and the East Rockaway Public Library when it was located in a small building next to Bethany Church on Atlantic Avenue.

However, one thing that has not changed about East Rockaway over the years has been the small town charm and loving environment that her family has had throughout the years, Walsh said. East Rockaway still holds many of the same traditions today, such as the Huckleberry Frolic, which will take place on June 10 at Memorial Park, and the Memorial Day Parade traditions that Walsh remembers attending over the years.

Walsh said she enjoys visits from her three grandchildren, Patrick, Meighan and Sean O'Neill, and her great-grandson, Owen O'Neill. She also likes to watch CNN and to engage in political discussions. When the weather is nice, Walsh attends Sunday mass at St. Raymond's. She said she also enjoys visiting Bay Park with her daughter Barbara to watch the dogs play in the dog run. She added that they always bring lunch to the park: a burger and a frosty from Wendy’s.

Walsh attributes her long life to three things. "Everything in moderation, one glass of white wine with dinner and always putting your best foot forward."