I Met Longtime Pleasantville Resident Dorothy Dushin at Her 100th Birthday Celebration. She Had One Word of Advice.

By Tomás Thor, Examiner Reporter Intern

When I asked Dorothy Dushin what life lesson stood out the most after 100 years of life, she paused for a moment, and spelled it for me: “R-E-L-A-X.”

On June 21 at Cedar Manor Nursing Home in Ossining, friends and family gathered to celebrate Dushin’s 100th birthday. Melissa Murphy, a dear friend who met Dushin at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Pleasantville, orchestrated every detail with loving care. From balloons to table settings, there wasn’t a decoration without the number 100 on it.

Dushin spent most of her life in Pleasantville, watching the community evolve with each passing decade.

“I just remember living over in that house on Westkora Avenue, facing the swings in the playground,” she told me. “It was the most wonderful place to live. We’d cross the street and swing, or have family gatherings where neighbors brought food, and we’d celebrate holidays together. We had a great time. A really great time.”

Her deep connection to Pleasantville is reflected in her sharp mind. 

“She’s very complex, actually, for a woman who lived such a simple life,” observed Dorothy’s nephew, Russell Dushin. “She’s very cerebral. She used to do The New York Times crossword puzzle every day, but she did it methodically – one across, then one down. Never jumping ahead.”

Meanwhile, her niece Christine Dushin captured her essence best: “Her goal in life has always been to give people a boost. She wants people to walk away feeling better than when they came in. That’s her mission.”

I felt that myself while speaking with her. Dushin couldn’t help but interrupt my questions to compliment me and steer the conversation toward me. She asked about my family, my nationality – I found myself having to gently change the conversation back to her. It was like a superpower; she had the ability to make you feel lighter simply by being near her.

When our conversation turned to memories of loved ones, Dushin shared a story about her late friend Milton.

“He saw that I was depressed once, and his solution was to come in without any announcement, with two shoeboxes full of loose snapshots from Vietnam,” she recounted. “They weren’t perfect photos, but they were his way of relaxing. He was a really good human being. I lucked out.”

Dushin kept returning to her one-word advice every chance she had.

“Just stay good and relaxed,” she emphasized. “Don’t get uptight. Being uptight is terrible for your body and your personality. Just sit, let yourself loose, and everything becomes serene.”

As I left that afternoon, I couldn’t help but feel that Dushin’s 100 years offer not just a lesson in living a long life, but in living better – and, above all, in knowing when to simply … 

R-E-L-A-X. 

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