Seacrest Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center Celebrates Centenarian Birthdays
January 3, 2023
LITTLE EGG HARBOR, NJ—Seacrest Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center saw a lot of smiles last month, as the Little Egg Harbor skilled nursing facility celebrated not one, but two, centenarian birthdays among its residents. Elizabeth Gilley (who likes to be called Verna) marked the age of 101, while June Stiers turned 102.
Both ladies received proclamations from Little Egg Harbor Township—declaring December 2nd as Elizabeth Gilley Day and December 13th as June Stiers Day—with committeemen Kenneth Laney Jr. and Dan Maxwell making the presentations to Gilley and Stiers, respectively. Mayor of Tuckerton Sue Marshall was on hand to bestow birthday cards during the joyful reception.
“It was truly an amazing experience to celebrate Verna and June’s birthdays with support from the entire community,” said Jacqueline Phillips, community relations director at Seacrest Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center. “We were so delighted to honor these women and their remarkable lives at Seacrest.”
Gilley, born on December 2nd, 1921, had a decades-long career as a nurse at Mountainside Hospital, which became Morristown Memorial Hospital. Gilley worked the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift before retiring at age 65, although she continued practicing as a private nurse. Gilley offered these words of wisdom for nursing professionals: “You have to have patience and enjoy what you’re doing!”
Stiers, born on December 13th, 1920, grew up in Peoria, IL. She enlisted in the Navy in 1943, eventually being stationed in Washington, D.C. in the telegraph department. Stiers was so good at what she did that she became a trainer before being discharged in 1945. She met her husband after her service and had five children, 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. According to Stiers, the secret to a long life is “two pieces of dark chocolate every day!”
Located at 1001 Center St., Seacrest Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center is a 171-bed skilled nursing facility, providing post-hospital care, short-term rehab and long-term residential care. The facility carries a five-star designation from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for both overall quality and quality of resident care.
