Mary Melick turned 97 on April 22. Her sisters are 102 and 101 years old.
The Svachak sisters began their days in a Hill Street house in Phillipsburg, so it seems fitting they get to live out the rest of their days side-by-side.
When the youngest living sister, Mary Melick, turned 97 on Saturday, the three women joined an exclusive group, experiencing a remarkable 300 years of combined life.
At 102 years old, Ann Svachak is the eldest of the seven Svachak children. Then comes Helen Casey, who is 101. The sisters are predeceased by their four other siblings.
The Svachak women have spent all of their days in Phillipsburg, pursuing careers, raising families, devoting time to their Catholic faith and finding time for their many hobbies.
Today, all three live at the Brakeley Care Center in Lopatcong Township in separate rooms, but they get to see one another every day. Each moved to the center after it became difficult for them to live on their own.
Helen Casey was the first five years ago, and Melick joined them last spring.
"I think it's nice to be with them in our old age," Melick said. "We'll end our lives together."
A mother of 11 children, Helen Casey said she remained close with her sisters through adulthood.
"We just picked up where we left off," she said of them all moving to the Brakeley Center.
When asked the secret to their long lives, Melick joked: Jelly beans.
But the sisters say truly they just tried to live good lives. They didn't drink or smoke, a relative noted.
"I just tried to live a straight life," Melick said. "That's all."
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Helen Casey's eldest son, Bill Casey, recalls that if they were chatting on the phone and didn't want the kids to hear, the women would speak Slovak.
Their parents Nicholas and Mary Svachak came to the U.S. separately from a small village in Czechoslovakia. The two paired up at an Allentown dance hall when they came with other dates and switched partners, Svachak said.
Many years later, Helen Casey met her husband in the same manner during a dance at the Hillcrest Club at Ingersoll Rand, where they both worked.
Melick also worked in the Cameron pump department at Ingersoll Rand until she wed her husband Lester "Shorty" Melick, who she knew from Phillipsburg High School.
"I was fourth in my class," Melick said proudly of her high school days.
She broke ground in the workplace when Ingersoll called her back to fill a vacancy after her marriage. Women back then resigned from their jobs once they married, she said.
"I was one of the first married women to work at Ingersoll Rand," Melick recalled.
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All three sisters played on the Sokal Lodge women's basketball team together for a few years, which they all recalled fondly. They're devoted to their church, Sts. Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Church, although Helen Casey joined St. Phillip and St. James Church after marrying.
"Aunt Ann worked tirelessly for the church," Bill Casey said.
When their husbands served in World War II, Melick and Helen Casey moved in together, sharing their war rations. Melick had a young son at home and Helen Casey was pregnant with Bill.
"It was a little tough," Melick said. "I think I only got $18 support."
Svachak married briefly but had the marriage annulled after four years. She never had any children, but opened her own beauty salon with another sister, Verna. Later, Svachak left the business to work at Magnetic Windings in the Easton area.
Svachak had been forced to drop out of school after eighth grade to work in a silk mill. But as an adult she worked hard to earn her GED. The avid Yankees fan was also active in adult sports leagues, playing basketball and softball.
Melick recalls Svachak as being quite strict with her siblings, but they never fought.
"When mom went shopping, Ann would herd us together like animals by the table and we'd have to keep quiet," she said.
Melick had two children. She and her husband were avid Harkers Hollow golfers; she was the senior ladies champion one year.
And she was known for her skill as an artist, especially her intricate pysanka eggs. Each detailed egg took her three hours to complete.
All three sisters loved to garden when they owned their own homes.
Raising 11 kids, Helen Casey bought 100 pound bags of potatoes and Bill Casey recalls his mother taught him how to clean, cook and change a diaper at a young age.
Bill "Buster" Casey Sr. was a strong union man and his son remembers a four-month strike where Helen Casey took a job boxing candy cigarettes in Wilson Borough to support the family.
His mother didn't think it was an impressive feat.
"I liked the job, I took the job," she said matter-of-factly.
Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.