Five generations of Philip and Alice Bilodeau's descendants attended Dorothy Olsen's 100th birthday party in Escanaba recently. Posing are Olsen, her great-grand-daughter Madelyn Ives and great-great-granddaughter Maeve Ives, granddaughter Irene Darlington and daughter Lynn Pritchard. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

ESCANABA — An Escanaba resident originally from Menominee, Dorothy Olsen, celebrated her 100th birthday last week surrounded by family and friends.

In April 1926, she was born Dorothy Mae Bilodeau to parents Philip and Alice and was raised alongside one sister, Jane.

Dorothy met Harold Olsen, also from Menominee, after he returned from military service in World War II and was working for a telephone company, she recalled. The two were married and later moved to Escanaba around 1950.

Harold died fairly young at 63, but not before they were able to have a number of happy years, welcome a family, and enjoy activities like golf together.

Dorothy and Harold had three daughters — Lynn, Diane and Nancy.

A party to celebrate the centenarian was held on her birthday itself — Thursday, April 23 — at Diane’s home on Portage Point. Attending were relatives, neighbors, friends and even in-laws from Cornwall, England.

Five generations of Dorothy’s family were present at the party.

The 100-year-old was in good sprits, chatting with her daughters and grandchildren, and was delighted when her baby great-great-grandchild showed up in mother Madelyn Ives’ arms.

When asked what important lessons she’s learned and what advice she might offer to young people:

“I wouldn’t even try to give them advice,” Olsen said. “I really learned things myself. Nobody gave me advice.”

But her granddaughter, Irene Darlington, said that one important thing she’s learned from her beloved grandmother is kindness.

“Always be kind to everyone,” Darlington said.

As Dorothy was naming off hobbies she’s enjoyed, her daughters helped round out the list — reading, sewing, painting, knitting, embroiders.

“When I was younger, I played a lot of golf,” Dorothy said. A search in the Daily Press archives shows both Dorothy’s and Harold’s names in reports from are golf tournaments in the 1970s.

At 100, Dorothy still seems healthy and vivacious. She’s beat breast cancer twice, and Darlington said she believes the challenges her grandmother experienced made her stronger.

The Press asked Dorothy how she thought she reached a century of life, and she said, “I guess I’ve got good blood,” but noted that no one else in her family had lived that long.