Carmella Gerace, 100th birthday

Carmella Gerace was born in Brooklyn on Oct. 22, 1914, to Angela and Joseph Raffaniello. She had three brothers (all deceased) and four sisters (three deceased.) She married Vincent James Gerace on June 22, 1937, but became a widow during World War II. A homemaker, Carmella raised the couple's children, Nicholas and Dolores, on her own. She later worked in the kitchen at Victory Memorial Hospital in Brooklyn and moved to Oakdale in 1974, where she became a member of St. John Nepomucene senior citizens club. Carmella loves to cook, sew and spend time with her five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. She celebrated her 100th birthday with her family and friends.