Betty Elman beats aging odds at 107

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There is no straight answer for the secret to longevity, but for Betty Elman, it may be her outlook on life. If you ask her, according to son Steve, she’ll say 107 isn’t that old.

And it doesn’t feel old for Betty at all, since she stayed pretty self-sufficient all the way up to just a few years ago — after turning 103.

“My mother was always more than capable,” Steve Elman said. “She was a perfectionist, and my mother would get up in the morning and get everyone ready for their breakfast … every day. She would often walk home from the school and then do grocery shopping, do lesson plans, make lunch for everybody. And then on the weekend, my mother would make dinner parties for 12.”

Born Dec. 12, 1911, Betty originally worked part-time as a substitute teacher before she started training other teachers at P.S. 57 on Crotona Avenue. She then went on to serve as the acting assistant principal. Working in education is also where she met her husband Hyman in the 1940s.

Betty Hyman hosted many dinner parties at their Grand Concourse home featuring her homemade hors-d’oeuvres and entrées.

“She would make yeast cakes and all types of yummies,” Steve said. “She was a super mom ahead of her time.”

After their children grew up, Betty and Hyman moved to Riverdale, first attending Riverdale Temple, and then later joining Congregation Shaarei Shalom. There Betty was active in the sisterhood, organizing luncheons and parties.

But now Betty’s friends — and occasionally even the Rabbi — come to visit her.

A minor stroke made it harder for Betty to get out of the house. But Steve and his brother Mark came to the rescue, along with home aide Adora Radford.

Now the 107-year-old doesn’t miss a beat. When Betty does make it out of the house for special occasions, Radford is right there with her as she has been for the past four years.

“Betty is just a kind and very nice lady,” Radford said. “In my short time working with her, I feel like my mother’s here and the family is very nice. They let me do Christmas here, and she said, ‘I like Christmas because it’s a happy time.’”

Betty used to spend a lot of time playing bridge, knitting and embroidering. Her hands are a little shaky now, but with Radford’s help, Betty keeps her apartment green. Her home on Hudson Manor Terrace is filled with both plants and photos.

Betty has never had major surgery. The worst she’s had is a broken ankle. She spends her days watching her favorite television programs or coloring in her art book. Sometimes she has visitors or she speaks on the phone with her children.

“She’ll say, ‘My hand is getting tired from being on the phone. I’m getting old,’” Steve said. “And I would say, ‘Mom, you are old.’”

Though Betty may not be able to move, speak and hear the way she used to, she still functions very well on a cognitive level. It’s important to her sons and Radford that they stimulate Betty’s mind, whether that be through conversation or activities like coloring or singing.

She remembers the things she holds dear, like her daughter Judith — who was killed in 2002 — and her father’s kosher butcher shop. She remembers the private home she grew up in as a girl and the struggle her father had when he first immigrated from Europe.

Betty remembers her time at Hunter High School and then Hunter College where she graduated with a bachelor’s.

At Betty’s 107th birthday — like most birthdays — she was surrounded by family, who always try to create new memories to add to Betty’s century’s worth.

“My mother is not a complainer,” Steve said. “You do what you got to do. You take it one day at a time. She just doesn’t complain and is thankful for every day.”

Betty Elman, aging, Congregation Shaarei Shalom, Simone Johnson

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