For someone to reach 100 years old is extraordinary, given how few can reach that milestone. But for one local woman, Eve Catran, she’s just the latest in her family to celebrate her 100th birthday.
There have been several who have seen at least 100 trips around the sun.
Both her parents reached that milestone, and she said that her grandfather on her mother’s side lived to 111. Catran is one of five children, one of whom managed to live longer than their parents before passing away at 105. Currently, Catran is the oldest living member of her family.
Linda Catran, Eve Catran’s eldest daughter, recounted some of the details she heard from her mother when she first moved to the valley. In Northridge, for instance, the post office still had a hitching post that people could tie their horses to when they went to get the mail.
“The 405 [freeway] wasn’t finished either when they moved to the valley, initially,” Linda Catran said. “It was a whole different environment.”
When her mother’s birthday was approaching, Linda Catran said that Brandman Centers had reached out to her about putting together something special in her honor, as they hadn’t had any other participants turn 100.
Eve Catran turned 100 on March 5 and was honored in Reseda with a special party by staff at the Brandman Centers for Senior Care PACE (Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly), where she goes twice a week. She was joined by her three daughters and granddaughter.
“We had a family party for her on Sunday, March 1, and actually, we weren’t even planning anything big on her actual birthday, but then they came up with this idea,” Linda Catran recounted. “She’s done a lot in her life, and it was nice for them to acknowledge everything. It was really great to meet her friends there.
“They had a disc jockey, a singer and a drummer, and they had people dancing and had a special meal. It was just great.”
Born in 1926 in Chicago, Illinois, Eve Catran moved to Los Angeles when she was 19, where she would meet her husband. They later moved to the San Fernando Valley in the early 1950s; they initially lived in Northridge before moving to Tarzana after the birth of their third daughter, where they still reside today.
Eve Catran has been an active member of her community. When Tom Bradley was elected the mayor of LA in 1973 – becoming the first Black and first liberal mayor of the city – she was brought on to do outreach for his office, as she had worked for several groups in the valley, including the Fair Housing Council.
“I knew the valley really well, so it was a good fit for me to go work for the mayor’s office … for almost 20 years,” Eve Catran recounted. “He [Bradley] was a forward-thinking man. … He was definitely groundbreaking.”
That wouldn’t be the end of her accomplishments. She was appointed to represent the United States on the International Senior Citizens Association, a nonprofit organization that works to provide seniors a way to share ideas and promote the welfare of seniors globally.
When asked what piece of advice she has for the next generation, Eve Catran said, “Be active and stay active. Be involved and be a part of the community and family around you.”
The Brandman Center is designed for seniors with complex health needs, offering integrated medical care, social activities, transportation and home care, allowing participants to live at home instead of a nursing home.