Graduate of Ridgefield High School in 1932 and longtime resident Olga Bellagamba celebrates her 100th birthday today.
Born in town on July 17, 1914, Ms. Bellagamba worked for almost 50 years following school before settling down and marrying at the age of 65, according to her half-brother Lou.
“She never really retired,” said Mr. Bellagamba, a former RHS graduate who lives in Newport, R.I.
After marriage, she built a house at 73 Prospect Street, where she still lives along with a caregiver.
Ms. Bellagamba was the oldest of three children.
“Her mother died young and our dad remarried and that’s when I came along,” Mr. Bellagamba said. “I’m 82, so she has a few years on me.
“It’s amazing she’s outlived pretty much all of us,” he added. “There used to be a lot of Bellagambas in Ridgefield.”
He said the last time he visited his sister was four months ago and plans to see her again her birthday.
“It’s not as easy to travel as you get older,” he said Monday. “The plan is to see her Thursday, pending the weather.”