LOWVILLE – Nancy Chamberlain celebrated her 100th birthday on Aug. 4 after gathering with her family the day before.
She was born in Ilion in 1924, the youngest of three children, and attended Ilion High School, graduating in 1942. She then attended Cornell University, graduating in 1945. She taught in Copenhagen for two and a half years.
In 1947, she married Clifford Ivan Chamberlain in the Dutch Reformed Church in Mohawk. Together they had four sons: David, Peter, Samuel and Robert. She was a homemaker for ten years. She then taught home economics and health care at Beaver River Central School for 19 years until her retirement.
The Chamberlains raised their family in Beaver Falls. After their retirement, they divided their time between their camp in Effley Falls and Spring Hill, Florida, and later between the camp and an apartment in Croghan. After her husband’s death, Mrs. Chamberlain remained in the apartment and later moved to Brookside Senior Living in Lowville for many years until moving into the nursing home five years ago.
In addition to her four sons, David of Sodus Point, Peter of Honolulu, Hawaii, Samuel of Effley Falls and Robert of Croghan, she has eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Chamberlain was a member of the Beaver Falls United Methodist Church, the United Methodist Women, and was active in Delta Gamma sorority at Cornell University. She enjoyed sewing and singing in the choir of the churches she attended.
According to her daughter-in-law Ellen Chamberlain, the centenarian was always ahead of her time in educating herself about and choosing healthy, nutritious foods.
“That’s one of the reasons she would live to 100,” said Mrs. Robert Chamberlain. “Nancy also believes that good sleep, exercise and a strong faith in God played a big role in her long life. The elder Mrs. Chamberlain’s siblings also lived long lives: her brother lived to 92 and her sister to 96. They also had an aunt who lived to 104.
