Luthern SeniorLife Passavant Community's Celebrating Life event honored nine residents for reaching the milestone of 100 years of age or older in 2018. Front row, from left, are Marjorie Gabella, Eveline Mattern, Emma Nesbitt, Dorothy Roberts, Wilma Sloughfy, Mildred Dollhopf and Irene Gewolb. Back row, from left, are resident and poet Dolores Fruth, the Rev. William Jameson, executive director Laura Roy and centenarian William Proffitt.

ZELIENOPLE — With eight residents over the age of 100, and nearly 70 over the age of 95, there is much to celebrate at Lutheran SeniorLife Passavant Community.

Those residents, along with staff, will pause for the third annual Celebrating Life event Sept. 27, during which they'll reflect on their lives and show appreciation for the gift of health and longevity.

According to Laura Roy, executive director for the organization, the event started after a resident pointed out the number of residents over the age of 95 on the campus. The resident said an accomplishment of such long life should be celebrated, leading to the first event.

Roy said the event features residents over the age of 100 entering on a red carpet. The oldest resident, she noted, is 104 years old and “still very engaged in life.”

“That's the wonderful part about what we do here,” she said.The event itself is simple, with a brief ceremony acknowledging those 100-year-olds, and a video presentation asking them for wisdom and tips on how to live a long life. A blessing is also held.“It's a simple but classy way to spend an hour of our day,” Roy said.Roy noted that many of the planning committee members are also residents, allowing them to not only be celebrated, but also to give feedback and have their voices heard.“Society often looks at old age as a negative thing, but we have countless residents who are proving that incorrect,” she said. “What is done is truly meaningful to them.”

Dorothy Roberts, 102, enters Scholl Conference Center on a red carpet during Luthern SeniorLife Passavant Community’s Celebrating Life event in 2018. This year’s event is set Sept. 27.