By Anthony Bottan
The year was 1906 and on Aug. 17 of that year, Westmiller was born in Brooklyn to Gaetano and Maria Canzia, immigrants from Naples, Italy. The seventh of 13 children, Minnie grew up in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn and said her fondest memories were when she was a child and helped her father with the chores on their farm.
Westmiller, now living at the Plattdeutsche Senior Center in Franklin Square for 12 years, celebrated her 100th birthday with more than 50 of her closest friends and family a century to the day she was born. Those in attendance toasted the woman who has lived through The Great Depression and two World Wars.
At age 18, Westmiller worked for Warner Bros. Film Studio, replacing damaged portions of film. She was only 20 when she married William Westmiller, a handyman who did everything from plumbing, to carpentry, to fighting fires on June 12, 1927.
The couple had two children, Eleanor and Charles, who have since passed away.
When asked what her secret was to living to 100, she paused, smiled then whispered in a gentle voice, "There is no secret, just clean living," Westmiller said. "My night ends with God and begins every morning with him."
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