Published August 27, 2020
NORTH READING — At 104 years young, one birthday celebration just wasn’t enough. Family and friends of Clare Picciuto made sure she was properly feted with two joyous celebrations.
Born back in 1916, Clare turned 104 years old on August 19. She has lived in the same house in town since 1953, and according to Mary Prenney, who serves as the the town’s Director of Elder Services, Clare is reaping the benefits of aging in place.
“When you make eye contact with Clare she recognizes you with a familiar gesture of pressing her lips together as she puffs a very loving kiss in your direction,” Prenney said. This is part of Clare’s engaging personality. According to family members, Clare drove until she was 99 and she also stayed active with activities like Bingo and bowling.
Prenney considers Clare to be a very dear, longtime friend. “Clare was a weekly attendee at the Senior Center for lunch and Bingo, and enjoyed participating in holiday celebrations,” she said. She even came to the Christmas party at the center as recently as last December, and has long enjoyed attending the town’s Thanksgiving dinners for senior citizens at the Hillview where she has been the oldest attendee for several years.
On her birthday, Clare was saluted with a drive-by parade, complete with a police escort, followed by the decked out Senior Center transportation van and a few staff members in their own cars, who were followed by the North Reading Fire Department.
As the corner was rounded approaching Clare’s home, honking horns and sirens blaring made all sorts of joyful noise with neighbors coming out to help celebrate. Clare was sitting under the shade of the trees with her daughter, Deb Picciuto, and one of her granddaughters, Elisabeth Watson.
Town Administrator Michael Gilleberto also joined the gathering to recognize North Reading’s oldest resident.
“Everyone was diligent in maintaining healthy COVID guidelines with masks and social distancing, even when Clare was given the traditional birthday cupcake, which was individually packaged and sealed!” Prenney said.
Clare’s second party was held on Sunday afternoon for family and friends, including another granddaughter, Sarah Watson, who was visiting from Binghamton, N.Y. The outdoor BBQ provided plenty of room for her guests to maintain their social distance. She very much enjoyed the visits and floral bouquets, and proudly wore her birthday tiara and North Reading Hornets shirt. Not even a late afternoon thunderstorm could spoil the fun for Clare, who took it all in stride.
The Historical and Antiquarian Society announced at her party that in honor of Clare they would be re-establishing the long-lost tradition of passing on a Boston Post Cane to the town’s oldest resident. Billy Post, a member of the Historical Society, told Clare and her guests a little bit about the tradition begun over 100 years ago when the former newspaper distributed ebony canes to cities and towns throughout the region to bestow on their oldest citizens.
Two replica canes will be made, one to keep on display with the town and one to pass on to the oldest resident through the coming years, Post said.
It was a happy day celebrating a special lady!
