Catherine Marie (Bender) Troxell has made her mark at Sacred Heart Assisted Living by the Creek, Northampton. She turns 100 tomorrow, April 27.

Staff and those around her say her smile is infectious.

Kitty, as she is known to family and friends, hasn’t spent any time over the decades thinking about if she would reach the century mark. She has been too busy raising a family, sewing, knitting, taking photos and collecting stamps and coins.

“I never thought I would reach 100,” Kitty said in a soft voice.

Those in Kitty’s life and at Sacred Heart believe there are more birthdays she will enjoy in the coming years. Enjoying relatively good health and independent living, Kitty’s personality, interests and family ties will bode well for the latest member of this century club.

Family visits, balloons decorating her room and entertainment will highlight the birthday celebration for Kitty.

She was born April 27, 1918, in Allentown, where she was raised. She graduated from Allentown High School in 1936. She took a job at the former Queen City Textile, where she met her husband, Paul Troxell. The couple wed in 1939 and had two boys, Timothy and Joseph.

Kitty was the first of four siblings - Joseph, Hilda, Thomas and Delores.

Spending most of her early years raising a family, she became skilled at sewing and knitting, her family said, making clothing and items for the family and herself.

Taking an interest in photography, Kitty took hundreds of photos, many when traveling to Europe. She also added stamp and coin collecting to her hobbies.

Widowed in 2001, she continued living by herself, first on Cedar Street in Allentown and later in Bethlehem at Pennsylvania House Apartments.