103-Year-Old Greenwich Resident Honored By The Stamford Diner, Camillo

STAMFORD, CT — Every Thursday without fail, you can find Old Greenwich resident Josie Monroe and her daughter, Eileen, sitting at a booth at The Stamford Diner, enjoying a delicious breakfast and conversing with staff and patrons alike.

The breakfast date was extra special this week, as the diner and Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo surprised Monroe and honored her with a certificate of special recognition several days after her 103rd birthday.

Monroe was born on April 25, 1922, and she was raised in Brownsville, Pa, until the age of 18 when she moved to New York City where she worked as a seamstress and continued her education through night school. She met her husband, Titus, in New York, and the couple had two daughters, Lorraine and Eileen.

In the 1950s, the family moved to Old Greenwich where Monroe was an active volunteer through various clubs and organizations, such as the senior center, local PTA, and Brownies, among others. She also worked at an accounting firm, and the company that eventually became Chesebrough-Ponds, according to Eileen, who noted her family has always had a strong volunteer spirit.

Titus died in 2000, and Lorraine passed in 2015.

Monroe was living independently up until last April when she dealt with a brief illness. She moved in with Eileen and her dog, Beckett, an 8-year-old black lab, who live just up the road.

Monroe enjoys coloring, spending time with Beckett and making monthly trips to Mohegan Sun, where she's also well-known and adored.

"I'm blessed to have my mother at 103," said Eileen, a longtime teacher in Greenwich who is now retired. "Some days are harder than others, but she does it."

Monroe said she was appreciative of the honor on Thursday. When asked what her secret is to living a long, healthy and happy life, she paused and thought about it.

"I don't have a secret," she answered. "I just live for the day."

Camillo, a Greenwich native, has known Monroe for a number of years.

"I love her. She really is full of life, and I always enjoy talking with her. She's upfront, honest and just a joy to talk to," he said.

At The Stamford Diner, Monroe is known lovingly as "mom." When she walks in, the staff perks up and feeds off her energy and spirit.

"She makes us laugh and she puts us in her place," said Stamford Diner General Manager Laura O'Brien, who organized Thursday's surprise honor. "It's just nice to have that family feel of someone who has been coming here for ages. She's just an incredible person. She's so sharp."

Maryana Ionita, a server at The Stamford Diner, said Monroe always comes in with a smile and a kind word no matter what.

"I want to be half of what she is," Ionita said.

For Elyseo Castro, another server at the diner, Monroe's presence is simply uplifting.

"She gives you energy to keep going. When you're tired, you look at her and you're like, 'That's it, I'm ready,'" Castro said with a burst of energy. "She's such a great person... just like mom."

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