PEABODY — When Leona Santisi was born in a six-room home on Proctor Street in 1925, her family still lit their house with gas lamps. One hundred years later, she FaceTime’s on a tablet, plays games on a second device, and logs into Zoom every Sunday at 4 p.m. to talk with her sprawling family.
This Mother’s Day, Santisi turned 100, joining the less than 0.03% of Americans who reach the century mark. She celebrated at Brightview Senior Living, where she now resides, surrounded by her six children, 15 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren. She invited just about everyone she shares a meal with at Brightview and requested a cake with “10 candles plus one for good luck.”
“She’s so smart, so with it, and always taken such good care of herself,” said Megan Brewster, Santisi’s 11th oldest grandchild. “We’re not surprised at all she made it to 100.”
Born Leona LeBlanc, she was the ninth of 11 children. Her father died when she was 4 years old, and her mother supported the family by sewing. Santisi lost a brother in the Battle of the Coral Sea during World War II, making her family the first Gold Star family in Peabody. She graduated from Peabody Public Schools and went on to work at Sylvania, where she met her future husband, Joseph T. Santisi of Beverly, who was on leave from the Coast Guard.
They married in January 1947 at St. Thomas the Apostle Church and raised six children together, first living two houses down from her childhood home before moving to Berry Street in Danvers. “There were so many servicemen coming home that there were no apartments,” Santisi recalled during a recent family Zoom call. “You took what you could get.”
After marrying, she devoted herself to raising her family — but she was never idle. She sewed clothes for her children, hand-lettered signs for the Danvers Garden Club, taught portrait classes at the senior center, and sang in the choir at St. Mary’s. She joined the Red Hat Ladies, won apple pie contests at the Topsfield Fair, and became the subject of family lore — like the time, daughter Mary Burke recalled, she mistook a skunk for a cat and came home “smelling pretty awful.”
“We watched her do everything,” said Burke. “We learned to bake, sew, draw, just by watching her. I don’t know how she had the energy.”
As a working artist, Santisi painted commissioned portraits of people — and later, dogs. “Everybody had a dog, and they liked them better than their kids,” she joked. “I charged $100 for a pastel of their dog. I think I painted every dog in town.”
She eventually taught herself to use Photoshop to adjust digital versions of her art, thanks to a little coaching from her grandson. When she moved into Brightview at age 99, she immediately picked up Zoom and continued creating art. She recently completed a pencil portrait of a fellow resident who works at the front desk.
“I took out all my paints. I haven’t started again yet, but I plan to,” Santisi said.
Each Sunday, her children and grandchildren log on to Zoom from all over the country — California, Florida, Arizona, New Hampshire, Massachusetts. The family stays connected through stories, crossword puzzles, art tips, and tech help. Her grandson Kenny remains her unofficial IT support.
“She’s always been resilient,” said granddaughter Amanda Gallagher. “It doesn’t matter how many times she tells the same story. I love listening. Her blue eyes still sparkle.”
Santisi still remembers the day the family’s first landline phone was installed and watching her gas lamps get replaced with electric bulbs. Asked for her advice to younger generations, she kept it simple: “Behave yourself. Don’t get into trouble.”
When asked which moment she’d go back and relive, she didn’t hesitate: her wedding day. “It was the first time both families came together,” she said. “That was special.”
Santisi was also related to longtime Peabody Mayor Peter Torigian through marriage. Her niece Jackie was the late mayor’s wife.
Her family says her longevity comes from a mix of faith, curiosity, and movement.
“She gets up every day, does her hair, puts on an outfit, and keeps her mind sharp,” said Brewster. “She’s never been one to give up.”
