Tinley Park Woman Turns 100, Has Her Cake And Eats It, Too

TINLEY PARK, IL — Pauline Cotrano wasn't initially thrilled when her granddaughters told her they'd planned her a surprise birthday party—and it was starting right then on Oct. 28, as her friends began to trickle into a tent and garage draped in decorations. She wanted to change her outfit then, she said—she didn't want to be wearing this, gesturing to a sparkly top with a beautiful gray shawl across her shoulders. She needed to change before more people arrived, she prodded them.

And when you've just turned 100 years old, you certainly have every right to change your mind—and your outfit.

Cotrano's sassy response to their plan didn't surprise her granddaughters in the least—she might be slight at just 4-foot-11 and 90 pounds—but Pauline doesn't hold back. The freshly minted centenarian has never been shy about speaking her mind, and likes things just so, and her way.

"She's a very strong-willed woman, very, very stubborn, very set in her ways, but she has the biggest heart, and she would do anything for you," said her granddaughter Lisa Fishback.

Fishback, 57, is the middle daughter of three, with sisters Laura, 58, and Dana, 51. The three are deeply connected to their grandmother, who played a major role in their upbringings.

"This woman has been there for me my entire life," Fishback told Patch. "After my parents got divorced, without her, we probably would have been homeless. She's a wonderful person, with the biggest heart ever."

A Tinley Park resident for roughly a quarter of her life, Cotrano is a devout Catholic and devoted parishioner of St. Stephen Deacon and Martyr in Tinley Park. Before she (somewhat reluctantly) started enjoying herself at the party, Cotrano received a special blessing from Fr. Michael of St. Stephen's. Her faith has left an impression on her family, trickling down to all as one of her key values.

"I think that's what kept her going for this many years," said granddaughter Laura Harke.

Cotrano is a grandmother to three, great-grandmother to six, and great-great-grandmother to three, with the most recent addition born just days before her own birthday. The gathering Friday was her granddaughters' way of honoring a life incredibly—and very defiantly—well-lived. They planned it as a "receiving line" of sorts, staged in the garage which had been covered in pink and sparkles, with a seating area for guests to join Cotrano for a photo. A tiara was awaiting its place atop Cotrano's head, but she was worried it would mess up her hair, family said.

"This party is something we have been talking about for a couple of years," Fishback said. "She wanted to invite everyone she knows, have them come, have a piece of cake."

But she didn't need help with it, Cotrano had chided them. She had it all under control.

"She kinda thought she could have done this whole thing by herself, God love her," Fishback said, laughing.

They were honored to plan such an occasion for their matriarch and the neighborhood's "Nanie" (pronounced "Non-y"), the sisters said.

"She instilled in me how important family is," Fishback said. "She has always wanted to keep her family together."

Cotrano had a simple answer for what has helped her live this long.

"You wanna know my secret?" she asked, as I leaned forward to hear her. "No drinking, no smoking. What else you want? That's it!"

Her granddaughters say there have been other cornerstones to her well-lived life.

"... pray and keep God center, that's very big in her life," Fishback said.

Married to her husband for 50 years before his death 25 years ago, she has held tight to her independence throughout the years.

"She is the most independent woman you will ever meet," Fishback said. "She does things her own way, and she wants things done her way, and I'm sure that's part of how she made it, too."

Harke echoed her sister's sentiments about their grandmother's fortitude and strength — adding what some might call a startling revelation.

"She's very tough, she's got a very tough personality," Harke said. "She doesn't give up easily, she knows what she wants. And she hates garlic. What kind of Italian is that?"

Cotrano loves people and has always strived to keep in contact with those important to her. She had quickly whipped up a list of 100 names she wanted at a party she'd throw for herself.

Her family estimates 120 showed up Friday evening to celebrate Cotrano.

She never changed her outfit.