Lucy Treccase and her family have been first in so many things, but on Wednesday she’ll happily take being No. 8. She turns 112 years old that day and is the eighth oldest person in the U.S., according to Wikipedia.
She was born on Oct. 18, 1905, in Foxburg, Clarion County, to Mayme Smith and James Kelly. Her father worked for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, the oldest railroad in the country, and loved to golf at Foxburg Country Club, the country’s oldest golf course in continuous use.
Her family was among the first in the neighborhood to have a radio and listened to KDKA, which became the nation’s first commercial radio station in 1920. Mrs. Treccase still listens to KDKA every day and her favorite talk show host is Marty Griffin.
She graduated No. 1 in her class at Butler High School and worked for five years as a secretary for Standard Steel Car Co. in Butler. At a dance, she met Joseph Treccase, a doctor who served in the Army during World War I and had an office in Butler. They married in 1928 and he served in World War II with the rank of lieutenant colonel. They had no children. After the war, he worked at the Veterans Administration hospital in Pittsburgh. Dr. Treccase passed away in 1980 after 52 years of marriage.
Mrs. Treccase, a longtime member of St. Peter Catholic Church, can recite the alphabet backwards. She enjoys knitting and sewing. Her favorite color is pink and her No. 1 beer is Rolling Rock. In 2008, she moved to Concordia Lutheran Ministries in Cabot. When she celebrated her 109th birthday three years ago, she was asked her secret to longevity.
"I've never smoked a day in my life!" she said.
Mrs. Treccase celebrated her 112th birthday on Sunday with more than 60 friends and relatives. She blew out pink candles with tears in her eyes. She is hoping to be honored by Smucker’s and Al Roker on NBC’s “Today” show this week.
If you or a friend or a relative recently turned 100 or will soon do so, the Post-Gazette would like to hear from you. To be included in Century Club, send the honoree’s biographical information and your phone number to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Century Club, Attn: Kevin Kirkland, 358 North Shore Drive, Suite 300, Pittsburgh 15212. E-mail: kkirkland@post-gazette.com.
First Published: October 18, 2017, 4:00 a.m.
