Ange Cilli Cole, Formerly of Sag Harbor, Celebrates 100th Birthday

Ange M. Cole, a member of the Cilli family of Sag Harbor, celebrated her 100th birthday on Saturday, September 21, at the home of her daughter, Deborah DeJesus, in Walden, New York, where she has been living since June.

“We had an amazing day with her,” DeJesus said. “She’s aware and she can recognize people and talk to them a bit. She knew we were celebrating her birthday.”

Cole was one of six children born to Antonina and Vitali Cilli, who emigrated from Italy and ran the Cove Side Dairy, a small farm off Glover Street in the village.

“She says she was almost born in the barn,” DeJesus said of her mother, who, she added, made sure her grandchildren visited the farm whenever they were in town to learn about their family history.

Cole, who graduated from Pierson High School, spent most of her life in Sag Harbor and Southampton.

DeJesus said her mother worked at the Bulova factory during World War II. The woman sitting next to her told her about her brother, who was serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. Cole began to write him friendly letters to boost his morale.

When Clayton Cole returned from the war, he came to Sag Harbor to see his sister, who introduced him to his pen pal. The couple were married three months later and had five children of their own: Robert, John, Dennis, Deborah, and Michael.

Clayton Cole died in 2003, and their son, John, died in 2021. Cole is also the last surviving member of her immediate family, John, Vito, Dominick, Rose, Jean, and Nick having died.

DeJesus said her brothers, Dennis and Michael, were able to attend the weekend’s birthday celebration in person, while her brother Robert, who lives in Arizona, attended via Zoom.

DeJesus said she and her husband felt fortunate that they were able to provide a place for her mother to live. “Her outlook on life has always been so positive, it’s amazing,” she said.

“Think of all the changes she’s seen in her lifetime,” DeJesus added. “She went from not having a telephone to in her 90s learning how to maneuver through Facebook.”