With four generations of the family attending the reunion, "I was sort of dazed," she admitted. Still, she said, "It was nice getting together. They live all over the place."

The family presented a cake to her and her sisters and sang happy birthday to celebrate yet another year alive for each of the three, healthy siblings. Two live in Newport -- Ann Martellino, 100, of Russell Avenue, and Laura O'Brien, the 96-year-old kid sister, who lives on Ocean Avenue.

"The women are incredibly active. The two women live alone. They have bedrooms on the second floor to this day," said Gerry DeCotis, a nephew.

He said the sisters' father, Michele DeCotis, immigrated to Providence from Panni, Italy, a small village in Foggia. But he found Providence too congested and missed being surrounded by the sea. The story goes that during a visit to Newport, he removed his shoes, rolled up his pant legs and put his feet in the water. That's when he made up his mind to move to Newport.

Records indicate that he opened a barber shop on Thames Street in 1893. In later years, he would return to Italy to bring his mother and his bride-to-be, Loretta, to Newport. The couple would have eight children, five sons and three daughters. Most worked in the barber shop at some point in their lives, and some started businesses elsewhere in the city. The girls worked some too.

"Special chair for the ladies," reads a business card for the shop from the 1920s.

The family sold the property at 415 Thames St. to the Newport Restoration Foundation in 1969. While most of the siblings remained in the area, Fannie moved to New York City and married. That's why the first family gathering took place in Long Island. It was to celebrate Fannie's 75th birthday.

"Because every single family member showed up, the idea was born," said Gerry DeCotis. "One of my uncles said, ‘Why don't we do this next year?' "

The reunions have been held ever since, about every three years or so. They are now held in Newport because most of the family members live here. As in past years, a function hall had to be leased for the large group and activities and meals were planned for the entire day.

This year, the event took place at the Middletown FOP Hall, beginning with a Mass led by the Rev. Francis O'Loughlin of Jesus Saviour Church, in Newport, to remember the departed family members, including the sisters' five brothers. The last one died a year and a half ago. The party-goers enjoyed three meals together, played bocce ball and danced to the music provided by a disc jockey.

The sisters didn't dance this year, but not because they are incapable.

"The women are incredibly active," said Gerry DeCotis, noting that none is confined to a wheelchair or relies on a walker. Try suggesting anything like that, he says, and "you get a scowl."

"The girls are teetotalers. They don't smoke and they don't stay out late," he said.

Fannie regularly goes shopping with her daughter. Although she is legally blind, she still crochets lap blankets for a nursing home near where she lives. She easily carries on a conversation on the phone, despite somewhat impaired hearing. She takes only one pill, the result of a mild stroke she had a few years back.

"Getting to 100, it seemed like a struggle to me. I didn't know if I liked the idea or not. But when I got there, I l! oved it, " she said. "I can't tell you how I got to 101, 102, 103, 104 and 105. That time absolutely flew by. I don't know how I got that old."

She bought a new outfit for this year's party -- a white jacket and vest with black embroidered pants.

"I like to dress up," she said. Her sisters, whom she hadn't seen since the last reunion, "looked nice."

"I wanted to be there even though I don't like riding," she said, referring to the nearly four-hour drive from Massapequa. "They were all kind of surprised that I wanted to come. They were happy about it. I'm glad I went."

It's not yet firmed up when the next reunion will be. There was some talk it could come as soon as next year, she said.

"If I'm alive, if I can move around, I would go again," she said.
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rsalit@projo.com