Thelma is an anomaly at her age. According to granddaughter Jaime Merrill, “this spit-fire doesn’t need a walker, nor hearing aids, nor glasses, and she proudly doesn’t need dentures because she still has all her real teeth!,” she said. “A capable woman, she was still driving around in her Hummer H3 until she was 98!” Thelma does so by keeping her spirits high and when asked her secret for living to 100 she responds, “only the good die young!”
Her “spit-fire” description comes from her “brutal honesty, it comes with no filter…since she was young till now,” said Tony Tordiglione, grandson, “ it’s things you need to hear. Grandma lets you know real quick.” He said it’s a trait he would like to replicate in himself.
Thelma is the “matriarch of the family and…she sends her love downwards to everybody,” said Tordiglione. Thelma has three children: Allen, Patti, and Chuck; eight grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren and makes sure to check in often.
Through Thelma’s life she has made it a priority to love and keep up with those around her and that is made apparent through her family members. “There’s so many things you could [say about] grandma… A hundred years worth of stuff,” Tordiglione said, but “the fact that she does keep in touch with as much of the family as possible, that says a lot…It shows you the things that a hundred year old finds the most important… she has stayed close to her people.” Tordiglione explained how through everything her maintaining this value brings good perspective as a younger person.
“She is always thinking about you,” said Merrill, “in little ways that you might not even think to consider yourself. She’ll call and check in and make sure that you have enough food in your fridge, or are you getting enough sleep? It’s almost like she’s taking care of everybody all the time.”
Thelma not only puts love into her family but also her cheesecake. “She puts her heart and soul into it,” said Tordiglione, “she’s pretty much the best chef in the country, in our opinion.” To this day, Thelma is up on her feet cooking her specialty cheesecakes off of the top of her head. “The flavors are always balanced perfectly and…she never has to look back at a recipe to save her life.”
“We wish the happiest of birthdays to the best chef in Texas. We love you, Grandma!”
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