~ The Advocate Asks ~

Louis Fantasia reflects on the happy days and the highlights of his life as he turns 100 today

 

  Editor’s Note: For this week’s column, we sat down with Louis Fantasia, just days before he became the latest Saugonian to extend his life to the Century mark today (Friday, Feb. 16). Louis’ wife, Marilyn, 93, also joined her husband in the interview at Saugus Rehabilitation & Nursing Center. Louis was born on Feb. 16, 1924, and grew up in Somerville. He is a World War II veteran and served in the U.S. Navy. He was on board the USS Canberra during a combat mission in the Pacific when an air-dropped torpedo from a Japanese aircraft struck the cruiser, killing 23 men. After serving nearly three years in the Navy, Louis returned to Somerville, where he worked as a laborer for many years, building wooden barrels and steel drums for several companies in and around Somerville. His passion for roller skating led to two marriages – the second one to Marilyn, a Gloucester native, who worked as a registered nurse for 49 years. Louis and Marilyn have been married since 1959.

  At the Board of Selectmen’s meeting last week (Feb. 6), the board’s chair, Debra Panetta, announced that the board had signed a special citation for Louis to acknowledge his personal accomplishment for becoming the newest Saugus Centenarian and wishing him a happy 100th birthday. Panetta said she planned to attend a birthday party for him this weekend and present the citation. Highlights of this week’s interview follow.

 

  Q: Where are you from originally?

  A: Somerville. That’s where I grew up.

  Q: How big a family did you have?

  A: Five boys and one girl. We lived on Linwood Street.

  Q: Did you graduate from Somerville High School?

  A: No. I quit school in the eighth grade.

  Q: I understand you are a U.S. Navy veteran who served in World War II.

  A: Yes. I went in the Navy in ’43 and got out in ’46. I was a seaman first class.

  Q: Did you see any combat duty at sea?

  A: Yes. I was on the USS Canberra. We were torpedoed and lost 23 people on the ship. We were towed all the way back to Pearl Harbor. One of my next door neighbors in Somerville – Arthur Marchi – was killed when the torpedo hit the ship.

  Q: What did you do after the service?

  A: I was a barrel man. I worked at Roche Brothers, Whitney and Ross Barrels. I made wooden barrels and steel drums. I spent my whole life making barrels. The first job I ever had was in a barrel yard.

  Q: What’s the most exciting thing you’ve done in your life?

  A: Being a bum! Hopping freight trains to get coal for my dad when I was 13 in Somerville.

  Q: What does it feel like now that you’re going to be a hundred in a few days?

  A: I don’t give a darn, to tell you the truth. It’s not really that big a deal.

  Q: But it’s a personal milestone that few people ever reach. Did you ever think you were going to live to 100?

  A: Hell no. Never thought I would live this long. But I feel the same as you. I don’t feel like 100.

  Q: Anybody in your family live to be 100?

  A: No. My sister Regina and my mother lived to be 97. My father lived to 82.

  Q: What’s the most fun thing you have done in your life?

  A: Roller-skating – I met my first wife, Pearl Griffin, roller-skating in Medford at the Bal-a-Roue. And I met my second wife, Marilyn, down at the Revere skating rink. We got married in 1959. It was the second marriage for both of us. She came from Gloucester and was a registered nurse for 49 years.

  Q: Do you have any children?

  A: I have one child from my first marriage. My son, Jimmy, will be 75 years old on the 20th of this month. He’s a bartender in New Hampshire.

  Q: I guess you really loved roller-skating?

  A: Oh yeah. I did 18 different dances; I was pretty good at it. I had a lot of fun and met a lot of friends there at the skating rink. I started going when I got out of the service. It was 50 cents a day for a skate in the afternoon. I would skate from 12:30 to 4 o’clock. I would go every day.

  Q: Are you much of a sports fan? Did you like to go to the baseball games at Fenway Park to see the Red Sox?

  A: I went to one baseball game in my life, with my sister, and they lost.

  Q: Anything on your bucket list that you would like to do in your remaining years?

  A: I have no idea.

  Q: You’re satisfied that you have done everything you wanted to do in your life?

  A: Oh yeah. I’ve had a good, long life. I served in the Navy in World War II and got home safe. I still have a house in Saugus on Castle Rock Road and have been here since May of last year.

 

  After listening to most of her husband’s interview, Marilyn Fantasia agreed to answer questions about what makes her husband special and why he has lived to be 100.

  Q: Please tell me how you met Louis.

  A: Skating was the good pastime in the year that I met him. I was working as an RN and I met Louis at the roller-skating rink in Revere. I loved roller skating and he taught me how to be better. You had the beautiful music that you danced to and the lights. It was beautiful and we had a lovely time.

  Q: So, you were impressed with Louis’ roller-skating skills?

  A: Louis was a very good skater. He knew all of the tricks and moves and he knew how to dance.

  Q: What drew you to Louis?

  A: He was a friend and somebody to dance with, and he pursued me. He took one look [at me] and he was gone. He was just madly in love at that time and just fell into place. He was very friendly and was eager to teach me to roller-skate, which I loved. Louis came from a nice family. He was very nice in meeting me and was interested in teaching me how to dance.

  Q: You have been married a long time, since 1959.

  A: Yes. This was the second one for both of us. We both had bad marriages. Louis has been a real good husband and still is.

  Q: What is the most remarkable thing you can say about Louis?

  A: He’s able to be friendly to people and he’s interested in living. I think he’s popular with people. He’s a perfect gentleman. Women like him, and so do men.

  Q: What do you think about Louis becoming Saugus’ latest centenarian?

  A: Living to 100 – it’s fantastic, especially with the ups and downs you go through in life. It’s really unusual for somebody to live that long in life, when you think of some of the things you could go through, like an accident or surgery – something that could go wrong.

  Q: What do you credit for Louis living to be 100?

  A: Because he’s used good judgment and he comes from a healthy background, with people in his family having longevity. He smoked, but not since we were married. He’s not much of a drinker either. I wouldn’t put up with that anyway. I credit his longevity to good, clean living. Neither one of us smoked or drank. Look, he’s still got good-looking skin – better than mine.

  Q: What do you think about the possibility of living to 100?

  A: If I’m not a problem to people – I might be the first one in my family to make it. But there comes a time when it’s time to go. But I don’t want to know about it.

  Q: What are you most proud of about your husband?

  A: Louis just being an ordinary person and the way he makes friends; he gets along with all age groups. He’s family-oriented; he’s a good father even though his son lives far away. He’s loyal and sticks to his words. He really cares about people.

  Q: Please tell me a little about yourself.

  A: I was born Nov. 30, 1931. I grew up in Gloucester. I graduated from Gloucester High School in 1949 and finished my RN training in 1952. I went into nurse training when I was 17.

  Q: Being a nurse – was that a childhood ambition?

  A: I went to work when I was 12 at Addison Gilbert Hospital in Gloucester and decided I was going to be a nurse, and I later trained at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. I didn’t like to be recognized or made a big deal of, but I knew I wanted to be a nurse. And I saw a cesarean section when I was 12 years old.

  Q: You’ve had a good life together with Louis?

  A: Yes, we have. We fight, but not that bad. You have to, when you’re two separate people. But I’m the boss. You know that. I would say we’ve lived a simple life – not extravagant. And we’re lucky to have lived in this part of the country. We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary on our 49th, while we were still alive. But we’ve lived a lot longer. The times have gone by fast. The roller-skating years were the fun years. And we did candlepin bowling. We always had animals – cats and dogs. We always had company. We had a small boat in Revere. We’ve done a lot of things together. Louis used to come and wait while I was finishing a 3-11 shift at the hospital. They let him hang around and never kicked him out.

  Q: You lived in Saugus a long time and still own a house on Castle Rock Road. What do you like about Saugus?

  A: Saugus reminds me of growing up in Gloucester, and it’s been good to me. The people and the type of living – I think that’s why I got used to it right away. I loved living in the Golden Hills area, where we had skating in the winter time and swimming in the summer. We had a neighborhood crime watch in the Golden Hills area. We never had children. I had cancer instead. We had a nice big yard – off in the wooded area.

We went through eight dogs. I had seven dogs at one time, and I had cats, too. I was an animal lover.

  Q: Were you active in the community?

  A: Yes. I loved being involved. I belonged to SAVE [Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment]. I was a member of the East Saugus United Methodist Church. I was also a member of the Golden Hills Association. Saugus was great for me, and I loved to live here.

  Q: How has it been for you at the Saugus Rehabilitation & Nursing Center?

  A: The staff is good here and treats us well. But to be out of my home [Castle Rock Road] – it’s very, very difficult; it’s a difficult time for me. I’m homesick all of the time. I miss my home.