Young at heart

Published 10:30 am Thursday, October 6, 2016

Worldwide adventures have kept Yvonne Monroe young after all these years.

Even at the age of 100, she yearns to visit a distant land.

“Maybe it’s travel that has kept me young,” Monroe said while enjoying family and friends during a party at the Harrison House in Kent last Friday, a day before her official birthday. “It’s been a great life. I certainly feel so (blessed).”

The Kent woman, who grew up in Seattle, has been a Harrison House resident for 10 years.

Monroe, a seamstress most of her life, said she has traveled to every continent. She still likes to travel when she isn’t with family and friends, playing pinnacle, crocheting or making jewelry.

Twice married and widowed, Monroe raised three children. She has six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Monroe said there is no secret to longevity.

“Maybe it has been the genes,” said the soft-spoken centenarian. “I feel great.”