Britt Jones
A centaurion who still works almost every day has shared her life advice, including the key things she does every day.
Ann Angeletti is a local jeweller, and at the age of 101, she’s learned a thing or two during her time. Working in the Diamond District, she’s no stranger to hard work and is loved by her clients.
Speaking to ABC7 NY, she explained that she began working early, leaving school to help her family's grocery store in Brooklyn.
Her dad was an ice seller who went door to door via a horse-drawn cart, well before refrigeration was ever invented.
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When her husband was sent off to fight in World War II, the mum began a waitressing role at the Navy Yard, and has been an avid businesswoman ever since.
Having worked for so long for others, she went on to create her own passion: Curiosity Jewelry in Cresskill.
With her daughter and granddaughter helping run the shop alongside her, Angeletti shared how her work is her life.
"If I retire, I would die," she said. "I was driving by, the store was for rent, and I called the owner and asked him, how much is the rent, and he said $85 a month in 1964."
Even though her store is only open five days a week, she’s been working six days a week, every week, and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. She credits her successful life to prioritising her ‘self-care’.
"Must get up, you must shower, you must eat, you must take care of yourself. You must exercise," Angeletti said. "If you don't like what you're doing, then change."
She went on to claim that she loves what she does, saying: “Make the most of that day. I'm happy working every day.”
According to The Daily Mail, approximately 2,646 people in New Jersey are aged 100 or older, with Newsweek reporting that for every 100,000 residents in Hawaii, there are 44.4 centurians - which is the most in the US.
Her story deeply resonated with viewers, who branded her an 'inspiration', with one person saying they think she won 'the genetic lottery'.
Who knows whether she did actually win the genetic lottery, but there was a woman who technically did.
Once recognised as the 'oldest person in the world', Maria Branyas Morera was 117 in August 2024 before she passed away.
Before her death, she asked researchers to study her to determine the cause of her longevity.
And apparently, it was largely down to her genes.