For Sara Voyten of Parks Township, turning 100 is ‘no big deal — I feel good’
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Sara Smith Voyten, a lifelong resident of Armstrong County, is about to add another chapter to the story of her life: turning 100.
Voyten, an avid reader, spends the majority of her time with her nose in a book in her private room at Pine View Personal Care Facility in Parks Township.
“My eyes are still good. I only need reading glasses,” she said. “I like to get my books at garage sales.”
The novelist Danielle Steel is a favorite.
Voyten plans to celebrate her 100th birthday Monday, Feb. 21 — which is Presidents Day — with an Italian-themed dinner among 23 family members at Garda’s Restaurant in Ford City.
On Friday, Voyten reflected on her upcoming centenarian status. Apart from some knee pain, she enjoys generally good health. She takes numerous vitamins and enjoys salads, pasta and a little white wine.
“Nothing bothers me. I feel good,” she said. “I don’t feel 100. It’s no big deal.”
She credits Pond’s face cream for her good skin. As for longevity, she has one secret: “Hard work.”
The daughter of the late Eula and Merle Smith, Voyten grew up in Kittanning until the family relocated to the Leechburg area.
A Leechburg Area High School alumna, Voyten married her late husband Andrew, a mechanic and electrician, in 1941.
They settled in the coal-mining village of Kiskimere and raised five children, four sons and a daughter.
“She is the oldest living one in her family. It’s nice to have your mother. She trusts me to make decisions for her, and I’ve always tried to do the best for her,” said son Gary Voyten.
Voyten said her daughter’s death in 1999 has been the toughest moment in her life.
“She died the first time she rode on that motorcycle, and she was my only daughter,” Voyten said.
Voyten’s son Paul died a few years ago from cancer. Her other two sons are Raymond and David.
“I’m most proud of my family. They look after me,” said Voyten, a homemaker her entire life who always maintained a neat-as-a-pin house.
Voyten said she enjoyed cooking and making soups for her family.
“She made golumpki, and it was tasty and filling,” Gary Voyten said, referring to Polish cabbage rolls. “She also liked to cook Polish desserts and nut rolls.”
Voyten’s husband died in 2009 at the age of 90. One of their favorite joint activities was visiting casinos.
“I played the slots. We loved to go to Atlantic City,” Voyten said.
A few years ago, after doctors recommended 24-7 care, she relocated from her 100-acre farm in Gilpin to Pine View.
“Any time you get up into that age, it’s a blessing. She’s still able to walk and get around,” Gary Voyten said.
Pine View employee Patrice Kocur, one of Voyten’s caregivers, has known her for about a decade.
“I’m not surprised she’s turning 100. She’s always reading and has good health. She used to love going to the garage sales. Sara likes a bargain,” Kocur said.
Pine View owner Tommy Scanga said in addition to her birthday plans with her family, Voyten will choose a birthday meal of her choice and enjoy a birthday cake this week at Pine View.