SAN ANTONIO — It was quite the grand entrance at a birthday celebration Saturday evening.
The birthday girl rode in on a tricycle dressed like a queen as she turned 100 years old.
Genevieve Najera from San Antonio said she feels like she's turning 39 again.
Four generations of the Najera family filled the San Antonio Food Bank Event Center off Highway 90 to dance, sing and enjoy good food alongside the family matriarch.
Mariachis graced the crowd, walking in playing Las Mañanitas, the traditional Mexican birthday song.
"I'm the Queen of England!" Najera told us during her interview, wearing a sparkling champagne-colored gown, accessorized with pearls and a tiara. Her oldest grandchild, Raymond, stood beside her.
"It's incredible to see her at this age. She's the new centenarian," said Raymond. "It's just amazing to see her, born almost at the turn of the century, reaching this point and seeing everything throughout our history. She's seen things a lot of us have not experienced."
Born and raised in San Antonio, Genevieve Najera met her husband, Ramon, in 1941 at a bus stop near her west-side home off Ruiz Street.
Ramon, who was 17 years old at the time, was returning home from a trip to Laredo. As he got off the bus, 16-year-old Genevieve was walking by. Ramon stopped to say hello, asked if she lived nearby and the two discovered they lived across the street from each other.
Ramon and Genevieve's courtship lasted six months. Their dates consisted of walks up and down Ruiz Street with Genevieve's brother serving as an escort. It's believed, since Ramon worked for 7 Up at the time, he may have brought cold beverages along for the couple to enjoy during their walks.
After six months, with permission from Genevieve's mother, the couple married. A church ceremony came a short time later at St. Agnes Catholic Church.
Ramon's home at the time, 824 Ruiz, would later house the couple and their 10 children. The majority of their sons went on to have a military career in the U.S. Air Force and Army.
"She was born just four years after women gained the right to vote in 1920," said Genevieve's niece, Isabel Garcia. "After a century with all these advances in technology, the transformation she took in stride. She made the most with whatever goodness came in her life."
Garcia describes her aunt, Genevieve, as having the most generous spirit. Garcia recalls the unconditional love and faith she experienced when visiting her aunt in San Antonio.
"When my parents moved me to Michigan because my father got a job at General Motors, every time we'd come to Texas, she'd open her home at 824 Ruiz Street," Garcia recalled. "My sisters and I would bunk bed with her daughters. She'd always make room for somebody else."
To this day, Genevieve still cooks homemade menudo, tamales and her signature dish: chicken-stuffed fried jalapeños.
In 2017, Genevieve joined KENS 5's segment "Cookin' With Grandma," in which she shared her Caldo de Res recipe. She even took reporter Erik Kennon for a ride on her tricycle.
"My mother died when I was very young...[Genevieve] was my surrogate mother after my mother died. She inspired me all my life to do better and share my gifts with the world," Garcia explained. "When I was born in 1952, the doctors thought I was going to die. Genevieve took me from the hospital to the church. She grabbed strangers, did Stations of the Cross and told the priest, 'You're not gonna give her her last rights. You're going to baptize her!'"
Raymond, Genevieve's grandson, remembers going to her house and visiting her on Ruiz Street. As a kid, he remembers watching local TV with his grandmother and playing outside.
"I've gone through a lot. I've had all kinds of problems, but I don't dwell on them. I let go and let God take control," Genevieve, who is also a breast cancer survivor, told us.
That's part of why she believes she's lived such a long life.
"I try not to worry. I have had a very hard life, but I just sweep it off. I don't hold any grudges or dwell. The past is the past and now is the present," she explained. "I've tried to live happy. I don't sleep late and I don't sleep during the day. I eat everything and I'll drink anything. You give me a beer right now and I'll drink it!"
Genevieve is following in her mother's footsteps. In the 1980s, her mother, Concepcion Mora, celebrated her 100th birthday at the local VFW. Mora lived to be 108.
On Saturday, Genevieve's grandson Raymond presented her with a proclamation from San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg. It details her rich legacy during her 100 years of life and congratulates the family on this joyous milestone.
Just in time for her 100th birthday, Genevieve was gifted her first La-Z-Boy recliner.
She's also looking forward to her next adventure. Next week, she'll set sail on another cruise to Cozumel. Her family tells us she's very popular among cruise staff—yet another example of how Genevieve lights up the world wherever she goes.
