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Youngstown woman celebrates 100th birthday
YOUNGSTOWN
Helen Molnar of Youngstown turned 100 Tuesday, and she’s been playing bingo at Old Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church on the West Side for more than half her life.
Molnar – who plays bingo five nights a week – walked into a surprise birthday party at the church, where she was surrounded by balloons, cake and a seemingly endless flow of friends stopping by to celebrate her century on Earth.
Greg Stanic, president of the church’s board, has known Molnar for more than 30 years and said she was the bingo night’s best customer.
Originally of Niles but now living on the West Side, Molnar said she was surprised by the amount of attention she was receiving, but despite the commotion she still had two pages of bingo cards and a pair of daubers ready to go. She said at her peak she could play 50 cards at a time.
Her nightly bingo outings are just a small part of an otherwise robust social life, as Molnar described regularly going out to eat and getting her hair done with her friends.
When describing Molnar, her friends at the bingo game almost always use the word “sharp” to describe her speech and her mental state.
Helen Foley, a 33-year veteran of the church’s bingo night, drives Molnar to the church every night, and said the centenarian is well-known and well-liked throughout the group of bingo players.
The birthday party – orchestrated by a group of women at the bingo night – is just the beginning of commemorating Molnar’s milestone.
She’ll be celebrating with another group of friends tonight and will spend Saturday with her daughter and her two grandchildren. Then it’s back to business as usual – playing bingo.