At 101, `Flo' accentuates the positive; Longtime resident marks birthday.

Byline: Sandy Quadros Bowles

LEOMINSTER - Flora "Flo" Wheaton has lived through a history book's worth of experiences in her 101 years.

But when the Leominster resident looks back on her life, she prefers to discuss the things she didn't do.

"We don't need to be whining," she said. "I believe in positive thinking. We should be more positive about ourselves. Positive thinking is good for my health."

She also said she avoids gossiping - "I can keep my mouth shut for a long time" - being picky and judging people.

"It's important we be grateful for what we've got and not whine and find fault with it,'' she said. "We may not be as rich as our neighbors, but so what? We need to be grateful for what we have."

Mrs. Wheaton celebrated her 101st birthday June 16 with a celebration at Manor on the Hill, an assisted living facility where she has lived for 10 years.

She was born June 16, 1908, and has been a Leominster resident since 1932, when she married Warren Arnold Wheaton, who is now deceased.

Mrs. Wheaton was born in Skowhegan, Maine, one of nine children, of whom two others are still living and in their 90s.

She attended a one-room schoolhouse, where one teacher taught youngsters in all grades and stoked the fire in the stove that provided the building's only heat.

Mrs. Wheaton and her siblings would sometimes walk through waist-deep snow to get to school. But on other occasions, she said, they had a special chauffeur: A neighborhood farmer would tie their sled to his team of oxen.

After moving to Leominster, she worked in specialty shops, including Frankel's in Leominster. She also volunteered at local nursing homes.

She and her husband have one son, Arnold, who now lives in New York. Mrs. Wheaton said Arnold and his wife and children have been very good to her.

Mrs. Wheaton raved about her life at Manor on the Hill, where she has her own room decorated with her own furniture.

The choice to move there was made 10 years ago, after her doctor told her she could no longer live alone.

Her son and daughter-in-law asked her to move in with them, but she refused. She wanted her privacy, she said, and they needed theirs as well.

After a long search, Mrs. Wheaton found Manor on the Hill and immediately fell in love with the room where she still lives a decade later.

"It's been a home away from home," she said. She described her nurse, Joanne Bengrazzi, as "terrific. She is tender, loving. ... she gives everybody loving care."

The operators of the facility - administrator Bharti Bhakta and assistant administrator Victor Bhakta - have been like family to her, she said. "They're two of the nicest people," she said of the married couple. "I love them dearly."

Her loved ones gathered June 16 at the facility to celebrate her 101st birthday with a cake and a party.

But the best gift she received arrived many miles away when her granddaughter in Connecticut gave birth to Mrs. Wheaton's first great-granddaughter.

"I was celebrating my birthday, and she was in labor," Mrs. Wheaton said, smiling.

And now another family member shares a special birthday. Mrs. Wheaton beams with pride. "They say she's adorable."

ART: PHOTOS

PHOTOG: (1) SUBMITTED PHOTO; (2) T&G Staff/RICK CINCLAIR

CUTLINE: (1) Manor on the Hill staff members Karen Clarkson, Paula Vinton, Alyssa Traeye and Director Paula Doucet sing birthday greetings to Flora "Flo" Wheaton on her 101st birthday June 16. (2) Flora "Flo" Wheaton of Leominster, who turned 101 on June 16.