
It was a celebration more than a century in the making.
“I love reading and like history books.
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Friends and family came together to honor Lenore Gardner Karlin and her 104th year on earth.
For the busy Dedham grandmother of seven, being surrounded by family is the real gift.
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She’s an artist, avid reader and published author at the age of 103. Sunday was a chance to look back at her lengthy list of accomplishments and live achievements, including her marriage to her late husband.
The love affair is complete with daily letters written back and forth between the couple for months during his deployment.
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“I think the hardships they endured made her tough and maybe accounts for her getting to 104," daughter Patty Rose Karlin said.
Karlin will be the first to admit, staying sharp takes a lot of work. She credits her strength, wit and good health to one thing.
“There’s no secret, no secret except your attitude,” she said.
And then of course there’s the fountain of youth, or in her case…
“I have a cocktail every single night – vodka or scotch or bourbon.
Her family agrees that at 104 years young and going strong, they’ll drink to that.