100 years young
New centenarians celebrate birthdays
Viola Eisenhardt and Helen Fallert were the center of attention early last month, when Sunrise Senior Living of East Meadow threw a party for the two women who had just turned 100 years old.
Sunrise staff members presented the ladies with a special birthday cake. Eisenhardt, who turned 100 on Sept. 8, and Fallert, whose milestone birthday was on Aug. 20, enjoyed a day of laughter, stories and games with their fellow seniors. Later that week, the centenarians shared some of their memories with the Herald.
Helen Fallert
It was 84 years earlier, but the memory of Helen Fallert’s 16th birthday was a vivid one.
Sweet 16 celebrations during the roaring ‘20s were not the extravagant ones of today that often emulate weddings. For Fallert, her Sweet 16 couldn’t have been any more perfect.
It turned out to be a surprise party thrown by her parents, who invited all of the birthday girl’s friends. Helen’s mother rented a player piano and took away the rug for dancing. Helen and her friends danced the day away.
“I’ll never forget that,” she said.
Helen Katherine Frederick Fallert, who grew up in Valley Stream, met her husband, Charles Fallert, when they were both employees of a heating oil company. Charles was a mechanic, while Helen worked as stenographer. Helen, who studied at Drake’s Business School in Queens, would later become a secretary for a Wall Street firm.
Before enrolling in Drake’s, Helen recalled, she was part of one of the first high school classes in Valley Stream. After her marriage to Charles, the couple moved to Maspeth, Queens, and eventually retired to West Palm Beach, Fla.
They celebrated 39 years of marriage together, until Charles’s untimely death at age 72. As she got older, Helen spent some time with relatives on Long Island, until she moved into Sunrise.
“Now I’m stuck here in East Meadow,” she said with a smile and a laugh.
Viola Eisenhardt
Viola Eisenhardt still gets teary when she talks about her most memorable party. As much as she enjoyed celebrating 100 years of birthdays, her favorite milestone was a surprised 50th anniversary party that was hosted by her nieces.
