LOW MOOR – Mary Kostel, a resident of the Brian Center’s Assisted Living Facility, turned 103 on Feb. 2.
Still sharp in conservation and walking well, Mary was the oldest of five children. She boasts eight grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
At three years old, Mary moved from the U.S. to Sparta, Greece, her parents’ homeland, where her father owned an olive orchard and made olive oil.
At 16, she moved back to the U.S. and married James Kostel in January of 1927.
The couple later opened the first restaurant in Clifton Forge to have an air conditioning unit.
Her son, George Kostel, 83, the oldest of her three sons, says of his mother, “She’s still the same.
My mother wants to accomplish things. She’s very productive…
She’s (also) a positive person; she sees the positive side of things.” George speaks of his mother’s resilience regarding the World Wars and the Great Depression. “Those situations never really affected her in the way that the death of her youngest son did, who passed away at age 46 of lung cancer.”
(Photo Courtesy of the Brian Center)