Sept. 16, 2004 Blanche Mary Joseph Sasso greeted old friends as heartily as ever. Even as she celebrated a milestone 105th birthday Wednesday, her enthusiasm for being around people or telling a good story hadn't dimmed.
As well-wishers poured in from the continental United States, the British Virgin Islands, St. Croix and St. John, Sasso regaled them with stories about the past.
"People have been visiting every day, and my mom recognizes everyone," Leah Sasso McAllister, Sasso's daughter, said. "She tells old-time stories and remembers holding them when they were babies. She's got a good sense of humor and is rather clever, keen and perceptive, even at 105."
In honor of Sasso's 105th birthday, Gov. Charles W. Turnbull proclaimed Sept. 15, 2004, Blanche Mary Joseph Sasso Day. In a press release, the governor urged residents to recognize and celebrate the commitment and dedication Sasso has brought to St. Thomas.
The celebration of Sasso's life will continue on Saturday, with an intimate Mass celebrated in her honor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in Estate Mafolie. Invited guests, family and friends from the mainland and other islands will be in attendance, and the Polymnia Choir will perform a classical part of the Latin Mass.
Later that evening, 250 family, friends and government officials will attend a reception at L'Escargot Restaurant. Turnbull will be there, as will Lt. Gov. Vargrave Richards.
"She's very proud. Sometimes she's overwhelmed by the attention she receives by people," McAllister said. But even a brief look at the biographical sketch McAllister has written about her mother reveals the accolades are deserved.
Perhaps the oldest living resident of St. Thomas, Sasso was born Sept. 15, 1899, in her Bunker Hill home. She was the youngest of five children, and grew up under Danish rule. When the Danish flag was taken down and the U.S. flag put in its place, Sasso was there. In 1921, Sasso and her sister Grace Sparks played an important role in Virgin Islands history when they embroidered the territory's first flag.
Sasso graduated from the Convent School on St. Thomas where her musical talents were encouraged. She learned to play 'cello and piano, and her love of music continues today.
She became a teacher in 1921, beginning her career in the public school system on St. Thomas and St. Croix. In the 1930s she established her own school, the Miss Joseph Private School on Norre Gade in the first floor of her family home. She specialized in teaching performing arts.
In 1935, Sasso married Ernest D. Sasso, commissioner of Finance and treasurer of the Virgin Islands. She closed her school a few years later with the birth of her only child, Leah.
In 1950, she was asked to go back to work at Sts. Peter and Paul school teaching kindergarten, first and second grades. She worked until Ernest's death in 1966.
According to McAllisters biography of Sasso, she has been named teacher of the year several times, acclaimed by Pope John Paul II, Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, local government officials and many other individuals.
Sasso has three grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and one daughter, Leah Sasso McAllister. McAllister said her mother has ups and downs now, but still loves company, loves parties, and has her wits about her.
"I know my mom is going to leave me someday. That's the way things are ordered," she said. "When that time comes, I dont quite know how I will cope. She not only has been an outstanding mother, she has lived with me since 1966. Sometimes we take things for granted. Every time the thought strikes me, I ask God to spare her. I hope she's with me as long as possible."
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