By Evan Walsh
Contributing Writer
NORTHBOROUGH – Evelyn Grenier, who has lived in the town of Northborough for 68 years, celebrated her 100th birthday recently.
Raised in Worcester, Grenier grew up listening to her dad’s opera on his Victrola Record Player. Before getting married, she worked as a secretary. She had a victory garden to supplement food supplies during wartime. She was one of thousands who celebrated the end of WWll in front of Worcester City Hall.
She married the love of her life and childhood sweetheart Otis Grenier in 1951. After six years of marriage, they settled in charming Northborough, in the middle of hayfields. They had five children. Grenier always cooked breakfast, packed a brown-bag lunch, and had dinner ready at 5:00 p.m., when the family sat around the kitchen table together.
When her five children were old enough to fend for themselves, she was eager to go back to work. She worked mother’s hours at the old Country Candle Factory in Northborough for many years. There, she met Elaine Priest and they became best friends. They did everything together. Grenier retired at age 70.
Evelyn and Otis were married 60 years. Shortly after, Otis passed away at age 85. Evelyn has remained in the same home since. Evelyn was independent into her 90’s. She passed her driver’s license test at age 95. It expired at age 100.
Grenier remembers when Hitler was alive. She survived the Great Depression. She survived scarlet fever. She almost drowned when her sister, Elvia, and she went “too far out swimming at the lake and a man with a boat pulled them out just before her last breath.”
To celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, she and Otis were headed to California, originally scheduled to fly from Boston to Los Angeles on one of the hijacked 9/11 planes, but a last-minute flight change to Santa Barbara saved them. She also survived COVID-19.
She is blessed with five grandchildren, who love her dearly.
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