Newport Beach resident marks 100 with love, laughs, even a little trivia
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Ada Kless Gilbert’s 100th birthday celebration began a few days early when more than 40 attendees showed up Saturday for her party at the Sea Island clubhouse in Newport Beach.
“What I’ve done is gets lots of sleep, eat a good, healthy diet, and keep a positive attitude,” she said of the inevitable question about her longevity.
The 40-year Newport resident marked her actual birthday Wednesday at home with immediate family.
According to daughter Nancy Kless, her mother is of the opinion, “It’s not when she dies but if she dies.”
“My mother loves being alive, with such a zest for life, and she’s totally with it,” she said. “She takes good care of herself, intellectually, reads the paper every day, medically, healthy lifestyle and physically, she always looks good, hair, nails. It’s important to her how she presents herself.”
Ada Kless Gilbert was born in Perth Amboy, N.J., on Aug. 12, 1926. She attended the University of Wisconsin during World War II and became a teacher and then a school librarian.
She married Howard Kless and had two daughters. Following her retirement she and her husband moved to Newport Beach. He died in 1995. She later married Jesse Gilbert, who died in 2005.
Living in Newport, she dived into volunteer work, serving as president of Hoag Auxiliary and served on the board of directors of the Orange County Community Scholar Program. She is also an active member of Temple Bat Yahm.
With three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, her first grandson, Dr. Josh Kern, traveled to the birthday gathering from Dallas with his wife, Julie, and children Scott and Natalie.
“She’s like a sage, very wise,” Kern said. “She’s the best grandmother I could ask for, and she gives the best advice. She’s always there when I need her, and my kids love coming out here to see her.”
Granddaughter-in-law Julie Kern expressed admiration.
“ I see her as a matriarch of the family,” she said. “She’s the glue that holds everybody together, a rare quality to find and family is very important to her. My view, no matter who they are, friends, family, she has a way of making everybody feel like they’re important.”
From day one, upon meeting 16 years ago, she felt welcome.
“She was so warm to me, like I was her biological granddaughter,” she said, adding that they both enjoy lunching and shopping at Bloomingdale’s. “We have always had a special relationship. She’s always just been very understanding and supportive and gives good advice.”
Dani Moscovitch has always had a special relationship with her grandma.
“My whole life she’s been my favorite person to talk to,” she said. “I visit from Boston multiple times a year, and sleep over at her house, and growing up in L.A., I’d come visit every other weekend. We talk and talk for hours — she has the gift of the gab — starting from breakfast until sundown.”
The big party hosted by Kless Gilbert’s daughters Nancy and Lisa was filled with moving tributes from friends and family.
Nancy Kless’ husband, Gene Moscovitch, presented birthday wish letters from Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber.
A trivia game, “Who knows Ada the best,” provided some good laughs along with prizes.
