Longtime Norwich resident Betty Echentile will celebrate her 100th birthday on August 5. (Photo by Kelli Miller)

NORWICH — Family photos of five generations are displayed upon living room end tables, counters, and a buffet in the Norwich home of Betty Echentile, who is turning 100 years young on August 5, 2024. 

 Betty was born to Angelo and Rose Bruglia in 1924, in Cresskill, New Jersey. Both of her parents were born in the United States and her dad was a painter, decorator, and partook in animal husbandry. Her grandparents were from Sicily; her grandfather was a painter, mason, and musician.

 Betty’s childhood family of seven included herself, her parents, three brothers — Bob, John, and Richard — and a sister, Rosemary, who have all passed.  During the Depression, they gardened and raised small farm animals.

 "You just went with the flow and my mother was a good cook," she recalled. "Dad raised rabbits and chickens and we had a vegetable garden, so fortunately we were able to have good nutrition during those years.”

 Breaks from daily tasks were welcomed; and coming from a family of swimmers, Betty enjoyed trying to keep up with her dad when they went swimming in a nearby lake.

 "I always tried to swim next to him — to beat him, but never did," said Betty. "The water doesn't bother me at all. It was very clean, not polluted."

 “My father would say, ‘Now Elizabeth, don’t go out too far’- but I always went a little further, putting my feet down to see if I could touch the bottom," she said. "One time my feet didn't touch and I said to myself, ‘Either you're going to swim or you're going to drown,’ so I swam."

 "I'm a strong back swimmer, I can lay on my back with my face out of the water, so as to breathe," said Betty.

 She remembered always having a big heart for those in need and in her youth she walked from school with her black girlfriend, while others snickered behind her back.

 "You just do what you feel is the right thing to do," Betty added. "I didn't care what other people thought."

 "I've always had a heart for all kids and those with special needs," she said.

 She recalled her family accepted everyone and even when her brother brought his black friend over for dinner, they didn’t think a thing of it.

 “We never segregated. We all were always friends,” Betty said. “ I babysat for a few Erie Railroad families and never felt they were better or worse than anyone else.”

 "My family welcomed all people, not discriminating or talking about race or color. We had rich friends, poor friends — it don't mean a darn thing, really," she said. "Why are we going through all of this again? When are we ever going to learn? I say to myself when I hear prejudiced comments." 

 One of her first jobs was working for a telephone company where she learned switchboard skills, including taking calls from other countries. Betty remembered it was very advanced and one of her best jobs. She also worked for the government and as a nurses aid in a hospital. 

 Shortly after Betty married George Echentile in 1949, they moved to Norwich. George was offered a position with the YMCA. Both were certified swim instructors and taught swim lessons in the Canasawacta River before the outdoor pool was built.

 She was married to George for 69 year until he passed in 2018 and has been a resident of Norwich for 75 years.

 She has four children, six grandchildren, five great grandchildren, and three great-great grandchildren, and they all get together for holidays and birthdays.

 "We're family oriented," she said. “About a month ago, our family came to Norwich to celebrate my birthday. We went to dinner at The Old Mill Restaurant in Mount Upton. It was very nice.”

 When asked if she was excited to turn 100, Betty responded, "No, it's just another day, just another year. God granted me another year and I don't know what his plan is, I don't care- as long as I can keep going."

 If she had another 100 years to live, Betty said she would like to see the world be at peace and to see nations get together.

 "We must change for the better," she added.

 Betty loves to cook and keeps notes in her cookbooks. She'll write down family members' favorite meals and prepare them for their birthdays. She also adds side notes stating if the meal was fair, good or bad,  and if it was bad,  she would write- "Don't make that again."

 She shared a story about tricking a friend, who was a fussy eater. She decided to prepare a beef tongue recipe for him.

 "He loved it and thought it was really good; but when he asked what kind of meat it was, I told him tongue and he about had a fit," she laughed.

 Betty enjoys crafting and sewing. Many of her handmade wall hangings, wreaths, and a tree of life pendant are on display throughout her home.

 "I like to do crafts and have some sewing projects. I'm still working on," she said.

 She did say she has one regret: She wished she had continued working for the telephone company but when she interviewed for the position in Norwich, she turned it down.

 "They wanted to hire me right away, starting the day of the interview," she said. "But the switchboard was nothing like the one in New Jersey."

 "When I went in to look at the apparatus, I was like, oh my, they were so far behind and I didn’t have the heart or the nerve to say anything," said Betty. 

 She believes if she had stayed with the company, she would have retired very wealthy.

 "All I know is whenever I wanted a job, I would go and interview and always get hired, I never heard a no," she said. "I had good bosses."

 Betty has been a supportive member of clubs and also taught physical education at the Holy Family School where she would accompany many sixth grade students on their annual Safety Patrol trips to Washington D.C.

 "We enjoyed those trips because we liked kids," she added. "We visited the museums and monuments and had a good time.”

 Betty also worked with Special Ed swim classes, teaching swimming and water safety and when the American Red Cross was established in Norwich, she was the Water Safety Chairman, in charge of certifying people to become swim teachers and lifeguards.

 "Every kid should know how to swim," said Betty. "Everyone should know how to swim and float and possibly save themselves."

 They taught their children to swim at early ages and their son, Robert, became an accomplished swimmer and a sectional finalist during the Norwich Tornado’s junior and senior seasons.

 Her daughter, Christine, said her mother has taught many Norwich kids and adults how to swim and is the super glue of the family.

 To this day, Betty is an active member of the First Baptist Church where she also taught Sunday School. She knows her faith and belief in God gave her the compassion to take care of those in need.

 “Over the years, many kids have visited our home and lived with our family,” Betty said. “We basically adopted them in.”