Italy: Rome man set to celebrate 103rd birthday

Rome: If there’s just one secret to a long and happy life, Salvatore Grieco, of Rome Mall Apartments, will tell you, “avoid stress.”

On Tuesday, March 1, Grieco will turn 103 and he’ll be the first to tell you, “I’ve had a good life.” Grieco said he’s maintained his longevity by sticking to that one rule, but he also had a couple other tips to offer.

“I avoid stress; I just don’t allow it in my life,” he said. “I also eat pretty good, but I think exercise is even more important.”

Although once a huge fan of “a good pork steak,” Grieco admitted he hasn’t touched pork or red meat in four decades.

“I haven’t had a burger or steak in 40 years, and I don’t miss it,” he said. “I’ll have ham on occasion, but no beef or pork. I just prefer chicken.”

As for keeping himself active, Grieco spends some quality time keeping fit, walking on the treadmill in his bedroom for at least 20 minutes a day, as well as taking a walk to Aldi’s on South Madison Street for groceries and back with the assistance of his walker. In the summer, the 103-year-old said he likes to ride in the motorized chair he purchased for himself with his first government COVID-19 stimulus check. He’ll also take the bus to Walmart on occasion.

When he was a young man, Grieco recalled wanting to join the armed forces in the fight against the Axis powers of World War II, but was rejected for heart problems.

“I went in and took the exam, but they said I had a heart murmur,” he remembered. “So instead, I worked over at General Cable (Corporation) during the war.”

His other three brothers would serve their country. Grieco was one of seven siblings — four boys and three girls. He said he was born on Lock Street and a few years later, his parents purchased a home on River Street, where he grew up.

While working at General Cable, Grieco said he was a “braider,” someone who “put the covering on the wire.” After working there a few years, Grieco purchased his own home on Liberty Street and turned it into a grocery store. He then operated the store for five years before joining the Loblaw chain of stores, where he worked a total of 28 years.

“I started out in the meat department, and back then, I was making 75 cents an hour,” he recalled. “Then I moved up to manager two years later, but I left because I didn’t want the stress.”

Grieco said his bosses at the grocery chain were very demanding, despite him being awarded Manager of the Year in 1966.

“If they came in to check the store and noticed a light in the ceiling was out, and I said, ‘OK, I’ll get someone to change it,’ they’d tell me, ‘No, you’re doing it now,’” he said. “So at the age of 56, I left.”

Grieco would then get a job at Vernon Downs, where he worked in the money room for 22 years before retiring.

“There were four money rollers and I was in charge of one of them,” he explained.

In his personal life, Grieco and his wife, Hazel, were married for 69 years before her passing in 2008. To this day, he cherishes the love they shared.

“She would look at me and say, ‘I just love you,’ and I didn’t say it enough,” Grieco said. “But we loved each other so much.”

The couple would have three daughters and a “surprise” son who came when their youngest daughter was age 13. They are Barbara, Lorraine, Diane and Thomas, and all still live locally. In fact minus about five years he lived in Elmira while working for Loblaw, Grieco has spent the majority of his life in Rome.

Because his children still live locally — one in Rome, Lee Center, Utica and Taberg — they make it a point to come visit their father every Sunday, with one special tradition that they all share.

“At 4 o’clock we all have a beer together,” Grieco quipped. “I don’t have a beer any other time during the week and I have just the one. And if for some reason my kids can’t be here, they have a beer for me and make sure they tell me about it.”

Today besides making sure he gets his daily exercise, Grieco enjoys time reading — borrowing the books available in the collection at Rome Mall Apartments, and sometimes appreciating a visit to Jervis Public Library. He also stays social, enjoying games of bingo twice a week with fellow residents, attending programs by guest speakers and celebrating residents’ birthdays once-a-month.