Bea Conetta, a renowned advocate celebrates her 100th birthday
November 27, 2024 at 12:21 a.m.
Whether she was the bane or the delight at any given Board of Trustees meeting, Bea Conetta, to all who have watched, is a local figure who demands respect.
With a reputation in advocacy as feisty as her own, it’s no wonder that the community would gather to celebrate Conetta’s 100th birthday—if anyone can make it to the rare title of centenarian, it’s her.
Conetta was born on Nov. 24, 1924. And last Sunday, 100 years later to the day, she was celebrated lavishly. The morning started with a serenade as members of the Port Chester High School marching band gathered in front of her King Street home to play “Happy Birthday,” twice, and sing it once. Then, she and her large family headed to the Glenville Polish Club in Greenwich, Conn. for an open-house style party.
Port Chester Mayor Luis Marino gives renowned Port Chester advocate Bea Conetta a kiss on the cheek after presenting her with a symbolic key to the village at her 100th birthday party on Sunday, Nov. 24.By Sarah Wolpoff
Over 100 visited her throughout the day, which included an assortment of friends, family and politicians—the latter boasting proudly about the times they’ve been on the receiving end of a relentless Conetta lecture. The honoree received praise and proclamations, as well as a cherished “key to the village” from Port Chester Mayor Luis Marino.
“I’m honored to be here today to celebrate Ms. Bea Conetta. I have no words,” Marino said.
“Once I became a politician 13 years ago, she was right behind me. ‘Make sure you do the right thing,’ ‘Shame on you for increasing the taxes,’ ‘Government doesn’t know what to do,’” he continued to adoringly mimic. “She is the best. Very active, very involved in our village. She cares about the Village of Port Chester. Bea, I love you, you’re my idol.”
Former Mayor Fritz Falanka shared the microphone with Marino, compelled to speak as a figure who knows Conetta well, first getting involved with the Village himself in 1977. To him, there was no question about attending her party. “I don’t know how many meetings Bea attended, but I think she was at every one,” he laughed. “She came, spoke her mind, and really helped us in a lot of ways.”
During a chat in her home after her party came and went, Conetta, frankly, said she didn’t feel much about turning 100 years old.
“I really don’t,” she said. “I know they made a big thing of it, so many people came, and it was a compliment to me for them to do that. It was a special day, wow. And the most special part of that day was that the Port Chester High School marching band came to my home, they lined up in the street. I think it shocked everybody.”
One hundred years ago, Conetta was born as Bea Miloro. “It means 1,000 gold,” her youngest daughter Maryann Franchella explained, speaking to the Italian roots.
Members of the Pride of Port Chester marching band line up in front of Bea Conetta’s home on King Street at 10 a.m. on her birthday, Nov. 24, to play her “Happy Birthday,” twice.By Sarah Wolpoff
She was raised on Garibaldi Place in the Washington Park neighborhood. Keen already on helping the community as a young adult, during World War II she was an air raid warden, alerting her community to turn off the lights when the sirens came on.
After graduating from Port Chester High School, she worked briefly in the building as an office assistant before taking a job at Homelite Corporation. It was during that time, through a friend, that she met the love of her life, Jerry.
“She would say they fell in love through letters,” Bea’s daughter Virigina Baxter said. “He went off to service; he was in the Marines. And they corresponded constantly. And while he was in the Marines, she would take the train to Stamford where his family lived, and she became very close with his sisters. They just had a bond. So, when he came home, they got married at 22.”
Conetta quit her job when her first daughter Sandra was born, and she would spend the next 28 years at home raising her children. “Personally, I think you’re blessed when you get a daughter,” she said, which means she was blessed five times with Sandra, Geraldine, Virginia, Teresa and Maryann.
Now, in the family she also has 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, with a 13th on the way in a few weeks.
“At that time, you couldn’t be pregnant and out working,” Maryann said. “When I went to college, she started to work at the high school again. She was a teacher’s aide in the special education program. She worked there for 15 years and loved it.”
“She always said her only regret in life is that she doesn’t know what she could have been,” she later added. “That she didn’t get to go to college, she didn’t see her potential.”
But given the impact Conetta has had on Port Chester, her potential is not hard to imagine.
“She’s always been involved. Port Chester is near and dear, dear, dear to her heart,” Maryann said. “She’s always worked to make Port Chester a better place.”
And many likely remember her movements.
Surrounded by loved ones, Bea Conetta sits on her porch while the band serenades her with birthday wishes.By Sarah Wolpoff
Conetta became a politically involved fixture in the community, attending every Board of Trustees and several school board meetings to speak for herself and others. She specifically remembers advocating successfully to get a pay increase for crossing guards and feels she was instrumental in ensuring the historic Liberty Square downtown was not renamed to honor Ed Sullivan instead.
Massively, and proudly, she was key in the movement against The Diamond Club, a topless bar on Midland Avenue. Until the establishment closed, Conetta and a group of peers famously led a nightly picket line that lasted a decade.
“I was in the hospital giving birth to my daughter, and my mother and father had to come late to meet their grandchild because they were picketing,” Maryann recalled. “They were threatened, things were put out in their lawn to try and get them to stop. It was frightening; we were all frightened for them. But my mother was never scared.”
Conetta firmly believes Port Chester’s residents have power in voice, and they must not be afraid to use it. And to make that point, she led by example and worked to instill the message young—she would often visit the elementary schools to teach on the value of voting.
“It’s because I felt that people weren’t voting, and they should get more excited about voting,” Conetta said. “And if you start from when they’re kids, they’ll grow up to be voters.”
She said she became a catalyst bringing up issues for the community. Whether it was getting stopped at the grocery store or receiving calls to her home, others would contact her to request that she speak on problems of interest at trustee meetings. Over the years, several asked her to run for office, but her family values always came first—she could not sacrifice the time away from Jerry.
Conetta has inevitably slowed down. She doesn’t make it to the meetings anymore, and she’s sad to hear that they’re often quiet without her presence.
“Your mouth is your weapon,” she said. “If you don’t open your mouth, no one will find what your problem is and do anything about it.”
Jerry Conetta died in 2005, when they both were 81 years old. And until just a few months ago, Conetta maintained her independence—it wasn’t until June that she started receiving full-time, in-house care.
Though the memories don’t come as easily as they once did—an understandable reality for anyone who reaches centenarian status—Conetta’s powerhouse feelings about her community are as unwavering as they’ve ever been.
“Just remember me saying this: I sincerely fought for the people in Port Chester. It’s the warmest town around,” she said. “Of all the towns I’ve experienced in my whole life, Port Chester is the warmest and kindest. The people, they give with all their heart.”
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