HUNTINGTON BEACH : At 109, She’s the Life of the Party

Minnie Cohen celebrated her 109th birthday Wednesday, and it’s no secret what keeps her going: Singing her favorite Yiddish songs, eating her favorite foods--like matzo ball soup and potato pancakes--and having a good sense of humor.

At the birthday bash, Cohen mused that she can’t believe that she’s “109 and still single.” Wearing a floral dress, pearl necklace and gold and pearl earrings, Cohen joked several times about her more than a century on Earth.

The party, attended by family and friends, was held at the Huntington Valley Nursing Center where she has lived for about 25 years. Cohen received gifts and ate some of her favorite dessert, strawberry shortcake. The Del Rubio Triplets entertained and sang golden oldies.

Accolades poured in: a birthday greeting from President Clinton and congratulatory letters from Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) and the Social Security Administration.

Cohen, who was born in New York City on March 15, 1886, is the oldest person in the country collecting Social Security, according to Rohrabacher’s office.

Cohen can no longer see, but she can hear fairly well and is still somewhat independent. She’s able to feed herself, wash her hands and face, and dress every morning.

The oldest of nine children, Cohen cared for her brothers and sisters after their mother died. She married at 28 and had five children, three of whom attended the party. Today, she has 17 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.

When Cohen’s husband died in 1937, she raised their children and never remarried, said Dorothy Schneiderman-Eitelberg, 76, Cohen’s eldest daughter, who lives in New York City. She said her mother worked in a movie house and did odd jobs out of the home to make ends meet.

“It was a struggle for her,” Schneiderman-Eitelberg said. “We didn’t have much money so she always prepared a one-pot meal.”

Her mother loved to play their baby grand piano and sing with her children.

“We had a very happy home,” said Cohen’s youngest daughter, Pearl Cohen, 70, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

She said while it’s remarkable her mother has lived such a long life, “it’s not long enough. The time has gone too fast.

“But I don’t think there could have been a better mother. Never. She thought more of us (her children) than herself. She’s the best.”