Polk County woman celebrates 107th birthday this weekend

LAKE ALFRED, Fla. - A woman in Lake Alfred is turning 107 years old this Sunday. 

"When somebody asks me that on the telephone, I say, 1-9-1-6, because they think I'm saying 1960," said Lenore Costello. "They don't believe anybody is still living who's that old."

Costello was born in 1916, and she and her four sisters grew up on a farm in Sycamore, Ohio where hard work was routine.

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"We had to make hay, chuck corn and wheat. We had a milk route with a horse and buggy and delivered milk in the town," Costello said. "We did that every morning before school and had to get back in time to get the bus to go to school."

Costello worked her way through college during the Great Depression and her first job was with the American Red Cross, which is where she eventually met her husband, George.

But then, World War II broke out in 1941.

"My husband went to the Philippines, and he was gone 15 months, so I didn't have anybody," said Costello. "There were a lot of people, a lot of girls without husbands who were in the service. "

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Thankfully, George came home in 1945 and that's when they moved to Florida. After living in Winter Haven for five years, they moved to their Lake Alfred home, where Costello has lived for the last 76 years.

She never had children, but she did have her Girl Scouts. She was the executive director of the Girl Scouts for 25 years. 

"It started with six towns and 450 Girl Scouts," she said. "When I quit 25 years later, there were 9,000 Girl Scouts and seven counties"

She said she has always lived an active lifestyle between hiking mountains and camping, and even now she doesn't just like to sit around.

"While I'm sitting in my chair, I want to do something," said Costello. "I read a lot, and I read good books." 

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How does one celebrate such an incredible milestone, such as turning 107 years old? She said by taking it easy.

"For the last two years I had too much going on," she said. "I went out to eat too much, so I'm not doing too much of that this year." 

Costello said her younger sister turned 105 last Sunday, so living to an old age runs in the family.