By Allison Perrine
MIDDLETOWN – You may remember Anna Del Priore, the 107-year-old Middletown resident who loves to dance and celebrate life.
And just about a year after The Two River Times attended her 107th birthday party, Del Priore is still dancing at her home at Brighton Gardens of Middletown, a Sunrise Senior Living community, at nearly 108 – but this time, she’s doing it to celebrate defeating her second pandemic.
Del Priore began showing symptoms of COVID-19 mid-May. She had a fever, cough and loss of appetite, Brighton Gardens representatives told The Two River Times. Soon after her symptoms began she was officially diagnosed with the virus, but she powered through and did not require hospitalization or need a respirator. She made a full recovery in June and is now looking for ward to her next dance at 108.
“She’s a month shy of 108 and she gets up, combs her hair, walks and dances. For the rest of my life, I’ll be able to say I met and loved someone who’s made it this far and stayed healthy,” said Laura Halle, one of Del Priore’s caregivers at Brighton Gardens of Middletown. “People don’t believe me. It’s really been amazing to watch her journey.”
Del Priore, née Ianelli, was born in Brooklyn, New York, Sept. 5, 1912 to deaf parents who taught sign language. She had one brother and three sisters who are now deceased, and has one living sister, Helen Guzzone, who is 105 and resides in Queens. A testament to their genes, Guzzone also successfully recovered from COVID-19 this year.
At a young age Del Priore caught and recovered from the Spanish Flu, making COVID-19 the second pandemic she has lived through and been personally touched by. Her family credits her active lifestyle with her success in her later years. The Brooklyn native would walk over a mile every day to meet up with friends for coffee at McDonald’s and did
so until she turned 100 in 2013. That’s when she moved to Brighton Gardens.
She’s also been dancing for decades. She and her late hus- band, Frank, tangoed for years as he was a professional tango dancer. She and “Beeba,” as Del Priore’s grandchildren refer to him, would frequent Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan and Luna Park in Coney Island to dance and have fun, they told The Two River Times last September.
“Her family and team members at Brighton Gardens say she’s still the first one to stand up and start moving whenever music is being played at the community,” said Nicole Vasile, senior communications manager at Brighton Gardens of Middletown.
Del Priore’s family also shared that the 107-year-old has maintained a Mediterranean diet all of her life, often serving up dishes with fish, olive oil, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit and pasta, according to Darlene Jasmine, Del Priore’s granddaughter.
“On Sunday she made a huge dinner for everybody. She made everything from scratch, the sauce, the meatballs, sausage,” Jasmine told The Two River Times in September. “She used to cook for like an army. She always made so much food. My grandfather loved having company and she did all the cooking.”
Del Priore also never drank, smoked or sweated the small stuff, her grandson Todd Lalima said. “That’s one thing I say about her, she just rolls with the punches,” he said.
The article originally appeared in the August 20 – 26, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
