CALDWELL, Idaho — Juanita Sibert has lived to see more than a century of American history — and on Saturday, she celebrated 109 years of it with cake, ice cream, and the people who love her most.
Watch: See the celebration and learn the secret to a long life
Born March 7, 1917, in Marland, Nebraska, Sibert blew out her candles surrounded by family and community members who gathered in Caldwell to mark the milestone.
When asked the secret to her long life, Sibert kept it simple.
"Well, I didn't drink, I didn't smoke. I lived a healthy life," Sibert said.
The Sibert family sold their farm and ranch in Nebraska and moved west to Idaho in October of 1946. Today, her legacy spans four generations across Idaho and Wyoming, with more than 50 living descendants.
"I come from a big family," Sibert added.
Sibert recalled a moment when someone once read the lines of her palm and made a prediction that has since proven difficult to argue with. "I don't know where the line is myself, anyways, he said, 'My gosh, you are going to live forever."
Her granddaughter, Mietta Sibert, said watching her grandmother's life unfold across more than a century of change has been nothing short of remarkable.
"I look at it, and I'm blown away — from no phone, to a flip phone, to Bluetooth," Mietta Sibert said.
Mietta said her grandmother has remained joyful throughout it all — a quality reflected in Juanita's longtime nickname, "Happy."
"Just learning about her stories and the impact and life that her family has built around her has been tremendous. Most people don't survive past 89, 90, and for her to just keep on going, I think it's her strong connection with family and friends and just love, pure love and joy," explained Mietta Sibert.
Juanita said one thing she has learned throughout this century is to never stop laughing and to enjoy time with family.
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