A Bayside Hills woman celebrated her 100th birthday on May 10 as a car cavalcade of friends and family circled her home honking horns and displaying signs from a distance.
Louise Ceci Jacobson, also known as Luisa or Louie, sat on her patio as she was pleasantly surprised by the drive-by. She was also presented with a proclamation from state Senator John Liu and Councilman Barry Grodenchik.
“Everything was kept a surprise and she loved it,” said her daughter, Carole Jacobson Papadatos.
Following the drive-by, Jacobson enjoyed a birthday lunch in her backyard with friends and family maintaining social distancing etiquette.
Loved ones both locally and in Jacobson’s native Italy compiled a video montage that they screened during a 100-person, cross-country call over Zoom.
Jacobson has resided in Bayside Hills since 1962. She was born on May 10, 1920, in Italy, Vallecorsa. She became the first woman from her town to attend college after enrolling in the University of Rome.
Jacobson then continued her studies at the University of Southern California and Hunter College in New York City.
As a teacher in New York City, Jacobson taught Spanish, Italian and math for over 25 years. She retired in 1982.
She is known to all as a kind, generous, sweet and loving person. Among her many hobbies, she is often described as a master bridge and mahjong player, who loves traveling.
One of Jacobson’s most famous and wise quotes:
“What doesn’t happen in a year, happens in a day.”
