Earlier this week, Belmonte celebrated yet another milestone with a
party in her pink house. The lit candles on the cake brightly heralded her accomplishment: "1-0-2."
"Make a wish, mom," said one of her kids.
She thought about it.
The party guests waited.
"No boyfriends!" someone called out.
A boyfriend isn't her wish, though.
"I don't want to go in a nursing home," Belmonte said later.
Marjorie Belmonte blows out candles on her birthday cake in her West St. Paul home with her daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Dick Reiling, behind her.
Marjorie Belmonte blows out candles on her birthday cake in her West St. Paul home with her daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Dick Reiling, behind her. (Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)















"I want to stay at home because I want to die at home."
She's got a whole village helping fulfill that wish. That village includes her children, neighbors, friends and church as well as volunteers and staff at DARTS, a nonprofit that has served seniors and their families in Dakota County for the past 40 years.
"Our goal is to keep her as independent as she wants to be," says Colleen Fritsch, director of community engagement for DARTS.
The nonprofit hosted Belmonte's party on Wednesday not only to celebrate her birthday, but also to call attention to the approaching "senior tsunami" -- Minnesota's growing senior population. If federal and state projections are correct, the number of adults 65 and older will increase substantially over the next 20 years.
Belmonte has some advice for those seniors:
"Even with some services, it's a lot cheaper to stay in your own home," she says.
It's more than a matter of money, though, for this homebody.
"She has always said she wanted to die at home," says Belmonte's youngest child, Mary Reiling, 67, of Ham Lake. "I hope some night she can just sleep peacefully away."
THAT WAS THEN
Marjorie Luella Knack was born Feb. 3, 1912, the eighth child of Amelia and Frederick Knack. Tragically, her father died the next day. Her mother, a German immigrant, later remarried and the family had a 160-acre farm between St. Paul Park and Cottage Grove in Washington County.
She grew up milking cows, butchering chickens, cooking on a woodstove and walking a mile to and from the community's one-room schoolhouse (and school was never, not once, canceled due to snow or cold, she says).
After completing the ninth grade, she worked as a nanny, maid and cook for families on and around Summit Avenue.
"One of the kitchens was so big that it took me an hour to scrub the floor on my hands and knees," she remembers.
After marrying James Belmonte in 1936, she stayed home to raise their four children on the West Side of St. Paul while he worked at Armour and Co., a meatpacking plant in South St. Paul.
The family lived frugally.
"We never owned a car," Belmonte says. "I took a streetcar downtown to pay the bills. We didn't buy stuff, I made the kids' clothes and I canned a lot of fruits and vegetables from our huge garden."
Her husband died of a heart attack in 1965. He was 57.
She never remarried.
"I've been living alone ever since 1965," she says. "I like it that way."
THIS IS NOW
Belmonte moved into her house in West St. Paul in 1981. At the time, her daughter lived next door, but her husband later was transferred out of state for his job.
That's OK, because her neighbors watch over her.
Marjorie Belmonte, left, chats with a well-wisher at her 102nd birthday celebration in her West St. Paul home. In the background is her son-in-law, Dick Reiling. (Pioneer Press: Jean Pieri)
Marjorie Belmonte, left, chats with a well-wisher at her 102nd birthday celebration in her West St. Paul home. In the background is her son-in-law, Dick










"One neighbor told me that my mother opens the curtain in her kitchen every morning," Reiling said. "She said, 'If I see the curtain is open, I know that Margie is OK.' "
Other neighbors shovel her snow.
"It feels like the right thing to do," said 71-year-old shoveler Terry Roche, a volunteer at DARTS.
Even former neighbors help out: Deana Zapata, who lived next door for 23 years, still comes over to read to Belmonte every Saturday and Sunday.
The women sat in Belmonte's sunny kitchen on Saturday afternoon as Zapata read from their 40th book, an inspirational novel called "It Happens Every Spring." The two friends also pray together and just visit.
"No one has a spot in my heart like Marjorie Belmonte," Zapata says. "We all have so much to learn from older people, but not many people take the time to listen with caring, open hearts."
Belmonte didn't need much assistance until about 12 years ago, when macular degeneration left her legally blind.
"I read a book one night, as usual, and the next morning I woke up and I couldn't see," Belmonte says. "It happened that fast."
She has been able to stay in her home thanks in large part to a framework of support from her children and their families. They work together to manage her finances and do her cooking, shopping and laundry; they call her twice a day and they visit frequently.
But on a day-to-day basis, Belmonte is still quite independent.
"I take care of myself," she says. "I can heat up my meals in the microwave, shower and dress, clean up a little."
For entertainment, she plays solitaire. For spiritual enrichment, she listens to weekly sermons on tape from Augustana Lutheran Church; twice a month, during home visits, she receives communion.
For additional assistance, Belmonte uses DARTS for housekeeping and outdoor chore services.
On Friday, Ruth McFetridge -- a "homemaker" with DARTS -- stopped by to clean, as she does twice a month.
"My job is to do what she can't do," says McFetridge, 76, of South St. Paul. "Beds, laundry, floors, vacuuming, dusting, whatever she needs."
The women consider each other friends.
"We just clicked," says McFetridge. "We were both raised on a farm and went through hard times."
At the end of her birthday party, a guest asked Belmonte if they could party again when she turns 103.
"I can't promise that," Belmonte said. "Whatever the Lord has in store for me, that's it. But I hope I can stay for awhile."
If not, she's ready for heaven.
"I've got a lot of friends up there," she said, laughing.

Volunteers Needed: 

Help keep seniors independent 
    
Help seniors age in place by being a friendly visitor, errand driver, grocery shopper, and more --flexible schedule! 

RSVP can connect you to these opportunities and more ways to help seniors age in place. 
                                                         
For more info: Call 952-945-4162 or Email 

Volunteers 55 and over receive special RSVP benefits