Assemblyman William Colton (D—Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights) stopped by the home of Lilian Caperna on Friday, February 14, to mark a truly significant occasion – Caperna’s 103^rd birthday, just a few days earlier.

“I was delighted to visit with Lilian Caperna to mark this auspicious occasion,” said Assemblyman Colton. “She has lived a rich, full life, so much of it right here in southern Brooklyn, and deserves all the accolades she is receiving as she turns 103. I am honored to have been a part of this important occasion.”

Caperna has lived in her Gravesend home for over half a century. She was born in New York City to Italian immigrant parents. The family lived in Hell’s Kitchen until Caperna, her two sisters and her brother purchased the house she still inhabits, living there now with her nephew Frank. Caperna and her sisters worked as seamstresses on Avenue U, and Caperna recalls making a wide variety of clothes, including wedding dresses, over her long career.