Advertisement

Baycrest residents help celebrate neighbor’s 108th birthday

Share

Despite 108 years of being a “curious gal,” Mona Schwaer’s surprise birthday party remained a secret until her family and friends gathered in her honor on Tradewinds Lane in Newport Beach on Sunday.

Alan Freeman and his wife, Kathleen Bryan, hosted the event, which brought together about two dozen of Schwaer’s neighbors in the Baycrest area. Her birthday is actually Tuesday, but her son, Steve, said it was still hard keeping the party from his inquisitive mother.

“She’s a pretty curious gal,” the son said.

Schwaer has lived in the same house in Newport Beach since 1964. Her husband died in 1988, leaving her there alone until her son moved in with her about four years ago.

Advertisement

In her time there, neighbors have helped look out for the now-centenarian. Freeman took charge of bringing in Schwaer’s trash cans and checking on her.

Jim Elliott, who lives across the street, said he remembers Schwaer driving until she was 100.

“She was always putting her purse on the roof of her Mercury Marquis and then driving off, and I would run after her and tell her,” Elliott said.

During the party, Beverly Elias, who has lived near Schwaer for 51 years, engaged her in a lengthy conversation that included reminiscing about the good old days and some assessing of the current state of affairs. The two women returned often to the topic of clothes shopping at Draper’s and Damon’s.

“My closet is bulging and my son wants me to get rid of some of my clothes, but I tell him, over my dead body,” Schwaer said with a laugh.

Schwaer suffers from macular degeneration and has been forced to give up many of her passions, including painting, writing, playing the organ and, most recently, knitting.

“I can’t see anymore to knit,” she said. “God is telling me to quit the knitting. I’ve had a good life, learned to do everything I wanted, like painting and music. Everybody has wonderful traits. All we have to do is wait for them to come to the surface.”

Schwaer finds pleasure in books on tape, a tip she shared with neighbor Mary Shandy, who also has the chronic eye disease.

“I love her dearly, and we talk on the phone all of the time,” Shandy said.

Schwaer also enjoys watching TV but can be a bit of a critic. Among her favorite shows are “Dr. Phil,” “Judge Judy” and “Antiques Roadshow.” But she says she is disturbed by violence and prefers amusing content.

“Television has lost its spirit,” she said. “Too bad. It was great.

“I’m glad I lived when I did. I had the best of everything. I used to come home and put on my skates, go around the block, and the air was lovely and there was a camaraderie.”

Still, when asked by neighbor Robert Escalante what she wanted for her birthday, Schwaer said, “I’d like to be 85 again.”

Advertisement