LITTLE EGG HARBOR – A local woman and her family dare to differ with the old saying that you should never ask a lady her age.
The recent celebration of Lucia DeClerck’s 107th birthday may well make her New Jersey’s oldest resident. However, that’s not the only thing that’s noteworthy when it comes to DeClerck’s advanced age.
She’s also the proud matriarch of a family that spans over five living generations – another mark attributable to DeClerck’s longevity.
It wasn’t until she fell at home and needed in-patient rehab that DeClerck relinquished some of her independence at age 100. After living alone in the Bay Apartments in Manahawkin for ten years, DeClerck agreed to stay on at Mystic Meadows Rehab and Nursing Center in Little Egg Harbor.
“My mother lived with us when my wife and I moved down to Greenbriar (in Waretown,)” shared Henry Laws. “She decided to take the apartment in Manahawkin because she said it was too quiet by us.”
Though she’s tired these days and not mobile for the last year, DeClerck remains lucid and responds to questions on her own time. DeClerck rested during most of her 107th birthday party while Henry, his wife Lillie and their daughter, Denise Jackson shared some of her stories.
Born on January 25, 1916, in Hawaii, DeClerck has always been a devout Catholic and started her early education in a local convent. In addition to her deep faith, DeClerck reportedly credits a special concoction to preserving her health.
Nine gin-soaked raisins a day may well be the recipe for a long life.
Henry, who’s the oldest in the next generation at 87, easily relates his mother’s advanced age to moments in history. She lived through two world wars, two pandemics – and also outlived three husbands.
“Two were named Henry and had the same birthday,” smiled the devoted son.
According to Henry, his mother was lucky enough to avoid infection with the Spanish Flu when it struck in 1918. However, the day after she received her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, DeClerck tested positive for the virus.
It just happened to be DeClerck’s 105th birthday and whether it was prayers, gin-soaked raisins, or plan old tenacity, she came out a survivor. Governor Phil Murphy included DeClerck’s recovery during one of his regular COVID-19 news briefings.
While the John F. Kennedy assassination and the 911 tragedies mark time for many Americans, Henry recalled another event that caused great despair for his mother.
“I was seven years old and we were living in California when World War II was going on,” Henry shared. “My mom knew that Honolulu had been attacked, and she was worried about her family in Hawaii.”
Lillie, who had been listening to Henry, left the room for a few minutes to “pretty up” her mother-in-law before she was wheeled in for her grand entrance to her party. Lillie draped a beautiful handmade sweater atop of DeClerck and a knit beret, ultimately complimented with a tiara.
Jackson drove from Baltimore to join her parents in honoring DeClerck for her birthday celebration. Other family members are scattered throughout the country, including the west coast.
At 57, Jackson is the oldest of DeClerck’s granddaughters and has many fond recollections of time she spent with her grandmother.
“I remember when my grandmother and her mom were living in Oahu,” shared Jackson. “They taught me how to fish when we’d go out on the piers together.
“They were too old to go surfing, but we had cousins there,” Jackson continued. “My cousin Dean and grandmother would take me over to the other side of the island and I had so much fun going surfing.”
Birthday balloons, a Sweet Memories cake made of cupcakes, all reminded partygoers that DeClerck’s celebration was particularly special. A local school sent over a handmade card and staff members brought in flowers.
However, the family themselves appeared momentarily taken back to their own place in time with the woman who is the oldest living member of their legacy.
As she looked at her grandmother, Jackson’s eyes lit up with a gleam of nostalgia brought to the present.
“Back then, I didn’t even realize how special everything was (when she visited Hawaii), because I was just going to see family,” Jackson said. “Now, I really appreciate it. I really do.”
