On a holiday centered around gratitude, some Bay Area families will gather around tables anchored by something rare: relatives who have lived a full century.
Their stories stretch across time – from childhoods shaped by war and migration to adulthoods spent in small home kitchens. Together, these centenarians offer a window into what it means to live until 100, what they’ve come to value with age, and what they are most grateful for this year.
Sally Burns arrived at the Live Oak Adult Day Services center earlier this week looking sharp in a tan blazer, gray slacks and a cream embroidered blouse. At a long table with seven other seniors, she studied her musical bingo board as the melody of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” drifted through the room. Her brow furrowed behind her glasses, then she lit up, placing a red chip down once she recognized the tune.
At 105, Burns says she’s grateful for many things. She lives in San Jose with her daughter, Cindy, and son-in-law, Jim, who will be hosting Thanksgiving festivities at their home this year.
“Jim’s a good cook,” Burns said. “Every year I love the turkey and the pumpkin pie.”
Burns is also grateful for the communities outside her home. On Mondays and Tuesdays she’s at Live Oak, rotating through activities that keep her mind and body moving like seated yoga, painting and storytelling. On Sundays, she’s worshipping and socializing at her church of six years.
“I feel like part of a family in that church,” she said.
Sally Burns, of San Jose, right, celebrates after getting all her squares filled while playing musical bingo with other clients while at Live Oak Adult Day Services in San Jose, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. Burns celebrated her 105th birthday on Oct. 15th. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
When she thinks about people she’s most grateful for, her memories often drift back to her late husband, Richard. The two met at a George Washington University coffee club in Washington, D.C., and fell quickly in love. After graduation they married and moved to Mexico City, where Richard worked at the U.S. Embassy. They spent four decades there and raised four children.
Burns moved to the Bay Area from San Antonio, Texas, in 2019 after the death of her husband.
“Y sí, hablo español,” Burns added with a chuckle.
With her 105th birthday just last month, Burns has been thinking more about longevity. She says she’s thankful for her good health and amused by the attention her age now brings. When asked for her secret to a long life, she didn’t hesitate.
“Oatmeal in the morning, white wine in the evening,” she said.
In Mountain View, on a cool, drizzly morning, 105-year-old Lloyd Lettis sat on the sofa of his cozy living room, a glass of water and a fun-size Almond Joy on the end table beside him.
Lloyd Lettis, who turned 105 in October, talks during an interview at his home Nov. 19, 2025, in Mountain View, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
“I am grateful to be alive,” Lettis said.
His days now move at a gentle pace — mystery novels, bridge with friends, a quiet house he’s lived in for more than seven decades. But his early years were less tranquil. Lettis endured the Great Depression after his father’s Watsonville apple orchard went bankrupt, and later served as a First Lieutenant in World War II. After the war, he returned briefly to the orchard, spending long days picking apples, building crates by the hundreds and pruning trees. It’s an experience that shaped his character, and for which he is grateful.
“It taught me hard work,” he said, his chuckle soft but audible.
Lettis is also grateful for having met his late wife, Myrtle. He still vividly remembers the night he encountered her at a UC Berkeley school dance. Lettis, who had set out on a mission to “find the prettiest girl in the room,” spotted her dancing and decided to cut in, asking if she’d like to slip away and see a movie. She said yes. He was a junior; she was a sophomore.
The two walked down Shattuck Avenue toward a theater, talking the whole way. With only 50 cents in his pocket, they settled on “Gone With the Wind” for 40 cents, then bought two Cokes for a nickel each at International House. The year was 1941 and that was the couple’s first date.
“I was very lucky to meet her,” he said.
A family photo taken about 32 years ago showing Lloyd Lettis, who turned 105 in October, and his family members is displayed at his home Nov. 19, 2025, in Mountain View, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
After marrying Myrtle, serving in the Army Air Forces and beginning a family, Lettis became a reserve officer. When the Korean War erupted, he already had three children and knew he didn’t want to be deployed again. He declined the call and decided to plant roots instead. He resigned his post, took a defense job as an engineer in San Carlos and in 1952 bought the home he still lives in in Mountain View — then surrounded by apricot orchards and gravel roads — for $12,500.
“I am grateful to be here and not in a nursing home,” he said.
Until recently, when an illness slowed him down, Lettis lived independently. Myrtle died in 2021 at age 100. Now, with the help of an aide who prepares lunch and assists around the house, he keeps up the routines he can, such as tending the vegetable garden he and Myrtle planted together.
With four children, 11 grandchildren and dozens of great-grandchildren, family remains the center of his life, especially on Thanksgiving. The holiday is now hosted at his daughter Suzanne’s home in Los Altos Hills and, in Lettis’ words, is always “a very big occasion.”
“Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days,” he said.
While some centenarians are aging peacefully at home, others find community and purpose in senior living. At 100, Jodie Martin is the oldest of nearly 800 residents at Stoneridge Creek in Pleasanton.
Jodie Martin, who is 100 years old, sits in the living room of her apartment at Stoneridge Creek in Pleasanton, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
“I’ve been lucky to live this long,” she said.
Martin moved into Stoneridge Creek with her late husband in 2013. Now she takes balance class three times a week, plays bocce and meets different groups of friends for dinners and Sunday game nights. Her family — three sons, seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren — remains close, especially during the large Thanksgiving gatherings hosted by her son Rick and daughter-in-law Carol.
Looking back on her life, Martin says her gratitude has deepened with age.
Jodie Martin, who is 100 years old, looks on from the living room of her apartment at Stoneridge Creek in Pleasanton, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
“I think younger people should appreciate family, friends, everything good they have,” she said.
In Fremont, the smell of barbecue chicken drifted through the kitchen as three generations gathered in the home that Natividad Jimenez has owned for 62 years. In the living room, sunlight fell across dozens of framed family photos and a reclined armchair where the 100-year-old matriarch sat, watching the hum of activity.
Natividad Jimenez ,100, visits with her son Vince, right, at her home on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Fremont, Calif. The Jimenez family gathers at the Fremont house every Sunday, for games, visiting, and a meal. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Her daughters, granddaughters, and great-grandchildren served food and traded laughter. The family dog, Baja, lingered faithfully at her side, rewarded with chicken from Jimenez’s plate.
Though she speaks little these days, the family knows the stories by heart – how she once co-owned “Little Tijuana Cafe” in Oakland with her late husband Gustavo, and later left the business to raise her growing family. She had seven children, and from them came 11 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and one great-great granddaughter.
“All the kids and grandkids have lived under this roof at some point,” said her granddaughter Sanchia Hendricks, 45.
Natividad Jimenez ,100, left, shares a laugh with her son Vince, center, and other family members, at her home on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Fremont, Calif. The Jimenez family gathers at the Fremont house every Sunday, for games, visiting, and a meal. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Jimenez, who was originally from Albuquerque, turned 100 in June. Her granddaughter Leah Frenchick said the family began gathering every Sunday in 2022, after a death in the family reminded them of the importance of spending time together. Since then, the weekly brunches have become a ritual – 15 people or more moving through the one-story house, laughter spilling from the kitchen where pasta salad and enchiladas share the table with half-finished puzzles.
“Knowing my grandma,” Frenchick said, “she’d probably say she’s most grateful for family. She loves a full house.”
Jimenez paused before finally speaking, her voice soft but certain.
“I’m grateful for everything,” she said.