Oceanside woman celebrates 101st birthday

OCEANSIDE — Anne Beversluis was recently honored at a family birthday celebration in her Oceanside home. The guest of honor was served a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, along with birthday cake topped with a 101 candle.
Guests included her daughter Claire and son-in-law Lyle Abel, with whom she lives; her daughter and son-in-law from Encinitas, Linda and Charles Van Kessler; her grandson from La Mesa, Rali Schwartz and his new bride, Mary, along with Mary’s family.
Beversluis was born in Paterson, New Jersey Oct. 18, 1909, to Hungarian immigrants John and Celia Leskowits. She attended school through the eighth grade and though she wanted to attend high school, her father told her she had to go to work. She worked with her father at the Paterson Silk Mills as a “winder,” winding silk thread to be made in to men’s hat bands.
On Feb. 3, 1934, she married John Beversluis in “The Little Church Around The Corner” in New York City. They had three children, John, Claire and Linda. After 60 years of marriage, her husband passed away in 1994 at the age of 87. She was able to grant his wish to remain at home until he died, and lovingly cared for him for more than a year.
In 1996, at the invitation of her son-in-law Lyle, she left New Jersey and came to Oceanside to live with them where she has “thrived” for the last 14 years. Her family is the center of her world. In addition to being a wonderful mother, she is a loving grandmother to six and a great-grandmother to eight, with another one on the way.
Beversluis is still very active and attends Carlsbad Community Church every Sunday. Pastor Alvin Helms and Pastor Phil Hoyer honored her by paying her a special visit and surprising her with a dozen red roses. She gives God all the glory for her long life. Her favorite hymn sums it up best, “All I have needed thy hand hath provided, great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.”
Suffering from macular degeneration, she fills her days listening to audio books on CD and her daughter and son-in-law help her do a crossword puzzle every day. She still walks up 14 steps several times a day, takes no medication, loves to go out and always looks beautiful.
“Anne is always smiling and she is an inspiration to everyone she meets but especially to her family,” her daughter said. “Mom, we love and treasure you. Happy 101st birthday.”