Nicole Gouly Greco celebrated her 104th birthday as part of the February birthday celebration for residents at Ponte Vedra Gardens Memory Care Community.
Over her 104 years she has quite a story to tell.
She was born in Melun, France, a suburb of Paris in 1921, and her family home was occupied by the Germans during World War II.
As a result, the family fled to Brittany in Northern France and eventually returned to their home after the after the war.
She also met her husband of 61 years, Francesco Greco, during that time in France, as he was serving in the U.S. Army.
Her husband wound up serving in three wars, with her devoted support along the way.
She moved to the United States in the late 1950s, and while initially very uncomfortable with her new country, she learned to truly love America and all that it had to offer.
Year later, she still vividly remembers her friends in France asking her why she wanted to move to America because there were no trees there.
According to her daughter-in-law, Shelia Greco, she still will joke about it from time to time about how America does indeed have trees.
Once moving to the U.S., they lived in New York and Massachusetts before moving to Florida in the mid-1980s to be closer to their older son and family. They have two sons, Louis and Michael; three grandchildren, Elaina, Robert and Joshua; and two great grandchildren, her namesake, Nicholas and newborn, Isaac.
She was able to celebrate her birthday with Nicholas who attended the party. He is four years old, which makes it a 100-year-old difference between the two of them.
Greco’s favorite pastimes include cross-stitching and collecting sharks’ teeth during her daily beach walks in the past, as well as having a love of baking.
She and her husband were also passionate about serving those in need, especially the Meals on Wheels program.
Her secret to longevity is everything in moderation, including a little daily glass of red wine, and she ultimately fiercely loves her family and is ardently patriotic about the U.S.
