On September 17, our World Golf Village neighbor Francoise Marquis will celebrate her 100th birthday.   The day might end with Mrs. Marquis playing cards with her family – a favorite pastime – which she  usually wins. Mrs. Marquis lives with her daughter and son-in-law Michelle and Louis Petrarca in Turnberry. “She joins us just about everywhere we go during the day. Her energy level is amazing,” said her daughter Michelle.  Turnberry neighbors may spot Mrs. Marquis puttering around the yard or taking a stroll when the weather gets a bit cooler.

Petrarca explains her Mom spends her mornings watching Mass on TV, followed by breakfast and a routine of simple chores. She does crossword puzzles daily to keep her mind sharp as a tack. She’s healthy and takes no medications, just a few vitamins.  Says Petrarca, “Mom will tell you that she is not ready for the rocking chair yet.”  She still washes dishes by hand and does her own laundry.  “Her bedroom and bathroom look like a model home with everything in its proper place,” says Petrarca.

Perhaps the secret to her longevity can be found in her famous chicken soup which she makes from scratch every fives weeks and freezes so she can enjoy a nightly bowl for dinner.  Petrarca boasts about her Mom’s energy and that she is “constantly complimented about her lovely white hair and stylish appearance.” 

Mrs. Marquis was born Sept. 17, 1911 in Montreal, Canada. She arrived in the United States in 1923 where she lived in Rhode Island until 2006, when she moved to Florida. She and her husband, Joseph Rosario Marquis, were married in 1940, and their first child, Richard Marquis, who now resides in Dunellon, was born when his mother was 39. A year later, she gave birth to daughter Michelle. Her husband Joseph Marquis died in 1991. Today her family also includes five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, with nine living in Florida and two in Atlanta.

Mrs. Marquis grew up in a large family with five brothers and four sisters. Her five brothers are deceased, but one sister, Lucille St. Germain of Rhode Island, recently turned 101.  “They talk on the phone every day,” Petrarca said. “She reminisces about her wonderful childhood and memories of all the fun times with all her brothers and sisters.”