Soon-to-be centenarian celebrated by ‘bingo buddies’ in Shenandoah
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Sylvia Yonalunas, of Frackville, smiles as she sees a cake designed to celebrate her 100th Birthday at the Greater Shenandoah Area Senior Citizens Center on Dec. 17, 2025.
SHENANDOAH – Her birthday might not be for a few weeks, but a Frackville woman’s “bingo buddies” helped celebrate a major milestone a little early.
Sylvia Yonalunas turns 100 on Dec. 31, and she’s a regular at the Greater Shenandoah Area Senior Citizens bingo games.
Wednesday afternoon, the group gathered to surprise and celebrate her centennial, preparing a cake and singing “Happy Birthday” as she entered the center on North Market Street in town.
“All of you can keep secrets pretty good,” the Frackville woman said. “Nobody even gave me an inkling that this was going to happen.”
When asked by a television news reporter about celebrating early, Yonalunas quipped, “I hope I make it now.”
“You definitely will,” the reporter responded.
She said she regularly plays bingo in Shenandoah and Frackville.
“Other than that, I stay in my nightgown all day,” she quipped.
For much of her life, she worked as a nurse’s assistant at the former Ashland State General Hospital and spent her later years volunteering, Yonalunas said.
“I did volunteer work for 30 years,” she said. “I just gave it up when I turned 90.”
Throughout the day, her colleagues at the center approached with gifts, hugs, and congratulations.
If you recognize Yonalunas, she reads “In Flanders Fields” annually at the Frackville Memorial Day Ceremony.
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