You just turned 100! What’s one of the biggest lessons life has taught you?

“Just roll with the punches. There’s no point in getting into a dither about things. Things happen to you. Period. That’s life. Solve it, but if I can’t, I’m not going to stew over it, I’m just going to move on and let it go. My mother, who was a sweet, darling lady, was only 16 years older than me. Every year she had something wrong. I remember one November, she was in the hospital for the whole month. I was in high school. I had to make sure that my three little brothers and my sister were OK. I do think I was born with that kind of nature – I’m always ready to help somebody. I thinks that’s how I got into social work. I could see all these inequities and think, ‘Well, I can do something about that.’” – Lucia D’Addeo Harrison of Huntsville.

Lucia D’Addeo Harrison says “don’t stew” over it when things don’t go right. (Tamika Moore / People of Alabama)

Growing up, Harrison wanted to follow in her aunt’s footsteps by going to college. Harrison graduated at 20 and worked in a World War II plant to save money for graduate school and to earn a degree in social work. She later worked as assistant director of a community center for 400 older people in the Bronx, and helped at centers for older adults in Wilmington, Delaware and Hartford, Connecticut, and put in countless hours of volunteer work throughout her life.

Lucia D’Addeo Harison worked many years as a social worker and a volunteer. (Tamika Moore / People of Alabama)

Harrison, a mother of seven with Brad, her husband of 70 years, taught her kids to start every day with a laugh. She also instilled in them to be kind humans.

“They all are good, kind adults who have compassion for other people and have some kind of life that they really enjoyed, some kind of career that they enjoyed, and they had an opportunity to decide what they wanted to do. I think they did well,” she said.

Lucia D’Addeo Harrison loves living in the Rocket City. (Tamika Moore / People of Alabama)

Harrison moved to Huntsville in 2007 and said Huntsville is one of her favorite things about Alabama.

“Beautiful, beautiful, Huntsville. Huntsville is a magnificent city. They’ve got everything here, as far as opportunities are concerned, in every field. I just love Huntsville,” she said.

These are the faces and stories of people from all walks of life who call Alabama home. People of Alabama is a Red Clay Media and Alabama NewsCenter partnership.