At 113 years old, Anna Natella has lived through more history than most people learn in a textbook \u2014 from the sinking of the Titanic to the moon landing, from black-and-white television to smartphones. And today, she added another milestone to her extraordinary life.<\/p>\n
Natella celebrated her 113th birthday at American House Senior Living in Fort Myers, surrounded by family, friends, and neighbors who filled the room with her favorite color, red, and plenty of love.<\/p>\n
The party included cards, hugs, applause, and even a special song from a neighbor, turning the afternoon into a celebration not just of longevity, but of a life rich with memory and resilience.<\/p>\n
Born in 1912, years before World War I and decades before modern conveniences, Natella is officially the oldest person in Florida and now the seventh oldest in the United States. Despite her age, she\u2019s still sharp and spirited \u2014 something her daughter, Cindy Belisle, says has always defined her.<\/p>\n
\u201cStrong-willed,\u201d Belisle said. \u201cBut I think it\u2019s that strong will that got her to where she is today.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked about her tips for such a long life, Natella didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n
“Don’t get drunk,” she joked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her family credits her longevity to strong faith and healthy habits, including a lifelong Mediterranean-style diet and a disciplined approach to sweets.<\/p>\n
But today wasn\u2019t about rules \u2014 it was about celebrating the woman who has become the heart of her community.<\/p>\n
One of the most emotional moments came when Belisle recalled a memory she\u2019ll never forget:<\/p>\n
\u201cShe put both her hands on my face and said, \u2018I love you.\u2019 I will cherish that moment forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for Anna, she says she gives all credit for her 113 years to her faith.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the good Lord that gave me this life. It\u2019s not my doing. It\u2019s His doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Natella\u2019s remarkable milestone is a reminder of the power of resilience, family, and joy, and a celebration of a woman whose life has touched generations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At 113 years old, Anna Natella has lived through more history than most people learn in a textbook…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56225,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[34880,209,211,210,30571,4571],"class_list":["post-56224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-anna-natella","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news","tag-mediterranean","tag-united-states"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56224\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}