As Julia Nestor Golit turns 100 on Friday,1/16 she has only one regret: She never learned to golf.

She's content now to watch Tiger Woods and other pro golfers on TV, but she has many other interests, including reading (at least three novels a week) and visiting with her large family.

She was born on Jan. 16, 1909, in Moundsville, W.Va., the second of Stephen and Helen Zaperich's seven children. Her parents were Carpatho-Rusyn immigrants from southeastern Poland and her father, a miner, first moved the family to Ohio, then Tennessee. There, young Julia walked several miles to a one-room schoolhouse but rode a horse to church each Sunday.

When she was a teenager, her family moved to Monessen, where she has lived for about 75 of her 100 years. During the Depression, she and a sister went to New York City to work as nannies and housemaids for a family. In June 1933, she married Charles Nestor and they had two daughters: Vera Nestor Croitoru of Bethel Park and Sylvia Nestor Beck of Monessen. The family moved back to Monessen in 1941 and Mr. Nestor died in 1948. Mrs. Nestor then married Gustave Golit, who died in 1991 after 37 years of marriage.

Mrs. Golit was known as the Pirogi Lady at St. John the Divine Russian Orthodox Church, which she attended for many years. Until some recent health problems, she was famous for her stuffed cabbage and chicken soup. She also used to knit or crochet afghans for her five grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. She is past president of the Monessen VFW.

Mrs. Golit attributes her longevity to eating in moderation, never smoking, working hard and maintaining a positive outlook on life. On Dec. 30, she celebrated her birthday at the Alpine Club in Monessen. Relatives came from as far away as Budapest, Hungary, Wichita, Kans., and Okemos, Mich.