For 100 years, family has been the center of Berdella (Hill) Campbell's life.

OnOct. 8, close to 30 family members and friends gathered together to celebrate Berdella's turn-of-the-century birthday."We had a great time," said youngest son Philip Campbell."We had the back room of the Route 443 Beacon Diner. Most of her social life was family gatherings. That's where she was most comfortable," he said.His earliest memories include family-centered gatherings and time spent together after dinner."We would play games at night around the dining room table. I learned to play poker there. We had a jar full of pennies we would use."Born Oct. 8, 1916, in Weissport to Franklin Pierce Hill and Ella Verna Krum, she is the last remaining of the five girls and three boys born to her parents.She attended Lehighton High School, graduating in 1934. She lettered in varsity basketball all three years she participated."She was very athletic," Philip said.Berdella married Mauch Chunker Edward Campbell after graduation. They were married until his passing in 2000."Whenever he left for work and came home he always kissed my mom. There was always that knowing that mom and dad were committed and loved each other," he said."We never had want of anything. We were very fortunate to grow up in a house like that."Philip recalls Berdella as a hands-on mom, quick to sew on shirt button, hem pants and pack a lunch."We never ate in the cafeteria. I always had a brown bag."Philip describes his mother as a private person, divulging very little of her personal back story."Once in a while she would hand out advice. But even when she was in her 80s she wouldn't talk about important things like family history."Of the few details she did share, family was always a part of her stories. According to Philip, Berdella was enrolled in nursing classes in Bethlehem at the age of 18 when her mother passed away. She left school to help her father take care of her youngest sister."Mom quit school because her dad needed help with my Aunt Phyllis," he said.Philip said the sisters had a special bond."They had a close relationship and spent a lot of time together."The youngest of three recalls the cookie exchange between his aunt and mother every Christmas."They kept these Charles Chip quart tins and they would fill two of them," he said."My mom made chocolate chip cookies and Phyllis would make the cutouts, the 'A and Ps' and they would exchange them."A woman of few words, Berdella showed her husband and three children love through her cooking."Supper time was the most important. We were all there around the table. I don't recall going out to restaurants," he said.A vegetarian for over 20 years, Philip still enjoys the memories of his mother's pot roast and veggies."I looked forward to that the most," he said with a laugh.Berdella was known for her made-from-scratch chocolate cakes and lemon meringue pie."I knew on birthdays it would be the chocolate cake. Almost anyone in the family would know if you asked them today," he said.Although private, she would share her secret ingredient for her famous confection: a cup of coffee.Philip remembers the feast his mother would make for Thanksgiving."The stuffing was the best. The stuffing that was in the turkey is what everyone wanted."According to Philip, along with her love of basketball, Berdella is an avid reader.Nancy Snyder works in the activities department of the Mahoning Valley Nursing Home where Berdella resides and said she loves to stop by the nurses' station and grab the daily paper."For someone who is hard of hearing," says Snyder, "she doesn't like the loud music programs."Instead, Snyder says "Dell" prefers the peace of the church services at the residence.Berdella's family has grown steadily over her lifetime, first with her oldest son Terry, her late daughter Mary Ann and baby of the family Philip, on to four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren throughout the area and spilling into New Jersey, where Terry lives.The Campbells raised their family in Bethlehem before Edward retired and moved to the Poconos."They lived just north of East Stroudsburg all through their retirement before dad's passing."Berdella took care of herself well into her 90s before Philip, a resident of Packerton, moved her to the Mahoning Valley in 2014.The 100-year-old doesn't stay put for long though, Snyder said."Dell is always on the go. She gets in her wheelchair and propels through the home. She motors around all over the place."