Mildred Hambleton attributes her longevity to good genetics and a healthy lifestyle.

"I never smoked, I never drink, and I keep myself busy," said Hambleton, who celebrated her 105th birthday Sunday.

Hambleton is following in the footsteps of her aunt, who lived to 104, and her great-uncle, who lived to 110.

Besides arthritis in her hands and knees, which causes her to use a walker, Hambleton is healthy and energetic.

"I try to keep myself busy," she said. "I don't like sitting around."

Each day, after her morning routine of eating breakfast and reading the newspaper, Hambleton sits down by the window in her living room and crochets until the room loses sunlight.

She crochets afghans, baby caps and dish towels; sometimes she can complete up to five towels in a day. She also makes "bouquets of roses" out of seashells.

Each Thursday night, Hambleton enjoys dinner at Cactus Willies Steak Buffet and Bakery with her daughter-in-law, with whom she lives on Eastland Drive in East Lampeter Township.

Hambleton remembers growing up in Quarryville with her parents Lewis and Elizabeth Wiggins, her older sisters Helen and Viola and her younger brother Earl.

One of the highlights of her childhood was eating ice cream at her father's ice cream parlor, which he owned before opening Wiggins Gas Station. Although she was only around 5 years old, the memory holds strong. 

"That ice cream tasted so good," she said, flashing back to a century ago.

Mr. Wiggins would pack the children's lunches for them to take to school, a one- to two-mile walk, said Hambleton, who went to school until the eighth grade.

She recalled picking strawberries on her family's farm and chopping wood for their wood stove.

"I worked hard," Hambleton said.The 105-year-old especially remembers the dreadful task of hand-washing clothes on a washboard.

"I sure was glad when I got my first washing machine," she said. "I thought I was in heaven."

At 18, she married Jerald Hambleton. The couple had two daughters and two sons, two of whom are still living. All four children were married to their spouses for more than 50 years.

In addition to working at the antique shop the couple ran together, Mr. Hambleton worked as a foreman at different garages. Hambleton worked, too. She was a sales associate at M.T. Garvin & Co., a department store on East King Street.

The couple met people from all over the United States while traveling to auctions along the East Coast. And people from across the country visited their shop.

"I miss meeting the people," she said. The business closed after her husband died 28 years ago.

Every winter after her husband's death, Hambleton spent time in Florida visiting her daughter and her granddaughter. That tradition ended eight years ago. Now she spends her time at home crocheting and enjoying her family.

Family members and neighbors planned to visit Hambleton at her home Sunday evening to celebrate her long life.

bkeeley@lnpnews.com