If you lived twice as long as Irma Letendre and made even half as many friends, you’d have to feel pretty good about it.

The Fall River native has spent over a decade as a resident of Franklin Court Assisted Living in Bristol, and her magnetic personality and affable nature was on full display as she was showered with admiration and love from her many children, friends, and friends that have become like family during a celebration of her 100th birthday last week, on Thursday, April 5.

“Irma was one of the first residents I met when I first started as the Administrator at Franklin Court Assisted Living 11 years ago,” said Angela Cabral, who continues in that role today. “We instantly connected as she told me about her wonderful life and career. Ironically, she was also an Administrator at another Assisted Living, all while raising her seven children! She is like a mentor to me with her pearls of wisdom.”

The mother of seven children, six of which were able to attend (one living out of state regretfully couldn’t make the trip), Irma grew up in Fall River, Mass. in a time and place when Calvin Coolidge had just recently become president, light was provided by kerosene lamps, and hot water for baths still needed to be boiled in large copper kettles.

She provided more details about her life growing up to her second-oldest child, Paul, who interviewed her on South Coast Matters, a public access show he hosts on Taunton Community Access and Media TV, the week prior to her big day.

Irma, who has a strong Italian heritage, recalled going to school as a young girl, without being able to speak English.

“I didn’t speak English at all,” she told Paul. “It was a tough time, but we also had Russian and Portuguese children who had the same problem…Polish people, Italians, we were all more or less in the same boat.”

Her mother frequently made beer and wine, which she recalled made her popular with neighbors and friends, and her father was a salesman. She remembered having front row seats to watch Franklin Roosevelt speak when he came to Fall River during a campaign event for his presidency.

Irma had her first job at Seats Roebuck, working in the stockroom and eventually as a shoe salesman. She met her late husband, Paul, while on a trip to New York City. He also happened to be from Fall River and they hit it off. When he got back from serving in World War II, they began having children, eventually having seven kids.

But Irma was ahead of her time. While raising a family, she decided to go back to school and then back to work. She got her degree from Framingham State and wound up teaching at Vernon Court Junior College in Newport, where Irma recalled having some interesting students come through; including the daughter of Frank Sinatra’s personal attorney and the daughter of actress Joan Crawford.

“It was an interesting group. I enjoyed it,” she told Paul during the interview.

Eventually Irma and her husband would move to Florida, where they purchased a summer cottage that eventually became their permanent residence. When Paul passed away in 2011, Irma found Bristol and the Franklin Court Assisted Living facility, and knew it was where she wanted to go.

“Everyone here has been so nice, I really love it here,” Irma said during her party, where close to 100 people gathered to celebrate her, and she received citations from Rep. Susan Donovan, Sen. Linda Ujifusa, and on behalf of the Bristol Town Council, the Town of Bristol and Town Administrator Steven Contente.

“Irma is known as the ‘Queen of Franklin Court’, being the eldest resident at 100 years old and a very popular personality,” Cabral said. “She walks every single day and loves participating in our many activities. She has a lovely and wonderful family who visit her regularly. Irma’s personality is sensational! She is funny, kind, warm, loving and gracious to everyone she meets. She has a certain fashion flair, especially wearing her signature red framed glasses, like TV host Sally Jessy Raphael. We all admire and love Irma. She is always happy and positive about life and never, ever complains. We are so blessed to have her in our Franklin family for the past 12 years.”

Irma soaked up the love and happiness around her, a smile never leaving her face. When asked what the secret was to living such a long and fulfilling life, she kept it simple.

“You just gotta keep going,” she said. “And love helps.”