Happy Birthday to Kathleen Stachurski, who turns 100 today! The Auburn Hills Community Center had the privilege of celebrating this centenarian’s birthday a little early during the Birthday Anniversary party, where she graciously shared insights into her life. Kathleen was born and raised in Bolton, England, where she lived with her parents, Mary Ellen and James, along with her six siblings. Kathleen met her husband, Witold Stachurski, during World War II, and in 1942, they were married. Once the couple married, they relocated 6,000 miles away from home to Canada. They lived in Windsor, Ontario for five years, and welcomed their only son, Anthony Stachurski. They eventually moved to Grosse Pointe where Kathleen worked as a property manager for an apartment complex. Finally, in 1974, the couple established their permanent residence in Auburn Hills, where Kathleen has lived for the past 50 years.

In a conversation with her son, he spoke highly of his mother, remarking, “She is a very smart and talented woman with a great business sense. She had a sparse upbringing, but she has always been very capable and has done well for herself.” A fun fact about Kathleen: she voluntarily surrendered her driver’s license a couple of years ago, and her son said that in all her years of driving, she has never once been in an accident.

Kathleen shared that during her childhood, she was not able to celebrate her birthday, but this year, she had the joy of celebrating her birthday three times: first at the Community Center’s Birthday Anniversary party, then the following week at Business Bingo, and once more surrounded by all her friends and family during a dinner gathering.

Happy Birthday, Kathleen!

Jackie Monroy, Senior Services Program Coordinator