As a child, Alice Vecellio loved to play guitar and sing with her sisters every chance she got.
Now, just days away from her 95th birthday, Vecellio can be found at least twice a week singing with bands that perform at the Bradford Senior Activity Center.
Born June 29, 1924, in Bradford, to Clifford Sr. and Nora Shine, she was one of eight children, all of whom have passed away. She married the late Bob Hotelling Sr. and they raised four children, Bob Hotelling Jr., Kerry Cook, Nancy Williams and Brenda Weaver. She also has seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
“She did work at Zippo (Manufacturing Co.) and Speer (Electronics) for short periods of time,” said Weaver regarding her mother. “But she was mostly a housewife — my dad worked at Dresser’s and she stayed home and took care of the family.”
Weaver said her father died approximately 30 years ago, and her mother remarried Leno Vecellio, who died several years ago.
Weaver said one of her mother’s passions in life has been singing, which she has done for years.
“Ever since I’ve been a little girl, she’s played guitar with her sisters and sang,” Weaver recalled. “They all played an instrument and sang” with instruments that also included an accordion.
“They’d sit around the campfire or take turns going to each other’s houses” to sing, Weaver said of the three sisters. Vecellio also sang with the Bradford First Church of the Nazarene choir years ago.
Weaver, who helps care for her mother who still lives in an apartment at Emery Towers, said her mother enjoys visiting the senior center on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. That’s because a band plays at the facility on those days.
“She sings and sometimes she does a little two-step to the music,” Weaver added. “She has two songs she likes to sing, ‘Gonna Find Me a Bluebird’ and ‘One Day at a Time.’”
In commenting on her singing, Vecellio said she enjoys it because it lifts her spirits.
“It makes you feel better,” Vecellio said. “And it helps other people, too. I always say, make the best of what’s left.”
Larry Combs of the Sunshine Boys band said the group enjoys having guest singers who include Vecellio because “this is their facility, we encourage any participation that we can.”
As for her mother’s birthday celebration, Weaver plans to take her out to eat her favorite food.
“She loves liver and onions at the Derrick City Diner,” Weaver said of the planned outing on June 29. She said a birthday celebration will also be held for Vecellio at the senior center on Tuesday.
Birthday cards and letters can be sent to: Alice Vecellio, 2 South Ave., Bradford, Pa. 16701.
