Genevieve Skavery, a resident of Mt. Carmel Nursing Home, celebrated her 95th birthday recently. She was born Jan. 26, 1918 to Stanley and Victoria Swatski of Mt. Carmel.

Genevieve and her husband Stanley, who worked as a coal miner, were married June 17, 1939 at St. Stanislaus Church in Shenandoah.The family moved to Michigan soon after the birth of their first child. While living in Michigan, Stanley worked for General Motors and for Chrysler's at the Detroit Tank Arsenal as a tool & die maker. He later worked on building the Redstone Rocket that put America's first satellite into orbit.In 1966 the family moved back to the coal region of Pennsylvania. The family had increased in size and consisted of four boys and one girl. The two oldest children, Jean and Stan, remained in Michigan after starting families of their own. Tom is married and resides with his wife Jayne in Quakake, and Gerald lives in Mt. Carmel with his wife Theresa.Genevieve's unwavering spiritual strength comforted her when she lost her son Raymond in 1991 at the age of 39 and her husband in April of 1998.According to her son Stan, Genevieve "had an uncanny sense of humor, was a superb cook, a wonderful wife and mother, generous, and unselfish when it came to her family. She enjoyed watching Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, wrestling, and Polka Night in Pennsylvania, playing bingo, and drives in the countryside."Genevieve has 13 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Her son says that love of family has always been and continues to be her source of strength.