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Giving Thanks For Turning 104

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By JAMIE PILARCZYK

jpilarczyk@tampatrib.com

Published: December 10, 2008

DAVIS ISLANDS - Carmen Fernandez can remember living in Key West when it was an island with no bridge connecting it to the rest of Florida.

She remembers living in Philadelphia during the Spanish flu, seeing stacks of coffins in the street and being plagued by nightmares throughout her childhood because of it.

She remembers riding for the first time in an automobile, hearing word of the newly built Panama Canal and seeing Tampa as a cigar town.

Fernandez turned 104 on Thanksgiving Day. Born in Philadelphia with a few years in Key West, Fernandez moved to Riverside Heights when she was 14. That was in 1918.

"I've always loved Tampa," said Fernandez, who now lives at Hudson Manor on Davis Islands. "It's a lovely city."

She was married to Armando Fernandez who died in 1983, more than 60 years after they wed. They built a home in Riverside Heights in 1925 and raised two daughters, Irene Lamb of Davis Islands and Alma Phillips, who died six years ago.

Known for her black beans, Fernandez reads romantic novels and solves crossword puzzles to keep her mind alert. She attributes her longevity to the miracles of science and the love of family. She has four grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren.

"I'm a very fortunate woman."

Reporter Jamie Pilarczyk can be reached at (813) 259-7661.

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