When Jennie Libertini was born, Woodrow Wilson was president, gas cost 15 cents a gallon on average and her current favorite game – bingo – had not yet made its way to the United States.
Libertini, the oldest resident of St. Martin’s Home for the Aged in Catonsville and one of the oldest people in the country, celebrated her 109th birthday Feb. 5, complete with cake, a performance by a choral group from The Catholic High School of Baltimore, a television crew and, of course, bingo.
“Hitting the 100 mark is not odd here,” said Marcy Shea-Frank, director of development at St. Martin’s Home, which is run by the Little Sisters of the Poor. “But 109 is really something.”
“We asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday, and she immediately said she wanted to play bingo,” said Shea-Frank. “She is a very astute bingo player. She usually has a helper with her, but she doesn’t miss those numbers, and she wins.”
Shea-Frank said Libertini always plays two cards at a time and uses plastic bottle caps to mark her numbers. She doesn’t need any troll dolls or rabbits’ feet; she’s got good luck all on her own.
“She is just the dearest person,” Shea-Frank said. “She has a beautiful smile, and everyone loves her.”
Libertini’s parents were born in Sicily and immigrated to the United States. The family was poor. She was born on Oliver Street in Baltimore City, was raised Catholic and attended public schools until seventh grade. She had two brothers and one sister, all of whom are deceased.
Her father, Frank Barbarino, was murdered outside of her home when Libertini was a young girl. Her mother, Josephine, arranged a marriage for her with an older man from the neighborhood when she was in her late teens. According to Libertini, the man was lazy, so she divorced him after just one year. They had a son, Michael.
Libertini would never marry again, and Shea-Frank said she credits this for her longevity. A modern woman, she was one of the first women hired by the Social Security Administration, where she served for many years as a telephone and telegraph operator.
Michael Libertini was his mother’s caregiver until he died at 83. He never married, and Libertini has no grandchildren. She lived with a friend for one year, and then came to live with the Little Sisters of the Poor Jan. 5, 2021, just shy of her 106th birthday.
“Jennie loves to take care of people,” Shea-Frank said. “She is a caregiver. She raised her son by herself.”
Shea-Frank said up until a couple weeks ago, Libertini was walking around with a walker, but she has slowed down recently. Several retired archdiocesan priests live in her facility, and when she was more mobile she always made sure they had enough to eat and that they were OK.
“For the Little Sisters of the Poor, having Jennie here fulfills their mission,” Shea-Frank said. “This is what they do, they care for God’s most vulnerable people, and they treat them like family. Nobody wants for anything at St. Martin’s.”
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