With her 100th birthday coming up on June 9, Dorothy Ingwersen was all smiles and laughter as she looked back on 100 years of fond memories with her niece, Carol Hallquist, and nephew-in-law, Tony Leptich.

A birthday party open to friends and family is set for 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 9 at Oak Harbor Adult Family Home, located at 2480 N. Crestview Pl., Oak Harbor.

“I can’t believe it,” Ingwersen said of her approaching birthday.

She was born June 9, 1912, in the Scandinavian community of Ballard near Seattle. She lived on Camano Island for many years in the home her father built. In the 1950s, they moved to Freeland, where her father also built a home.

Ingwersen moved to Oak Harbor in the early 1980s and worked at the thrift store, which were some of her favorite memories. Her first sale was a washing machine.

Ingwersen’s biggest passion is swimming. In her 70s and 80s, she earned a plethora of medals for swimming in the Special Olympics. Even now, she asks to go swimming, Hallquist said.

Hallquist said she has many happy memories of her childhood with Ingwersen. Ingwersen babysat Hallquist and her other nieces and nephews and took them fishing, swimming, on picnics and bowling.

Spending summers at Ingwersen’s home on Camano was a delight for Hallquist. The beachfront cabin was surrounded by forest.

“It was just a childhood haven. We loved it,” Hallquist said.

Hallquist also enjoyed spending time with Ingwersen at her home in Freeland, where they picked blackberries together and kept them in cans held by strings around their necks that Ingwersen’s dad designed.

“She took care of us kids,” Hallquist said.

Now, Hallquist takes Ingwersen on fun outings, including to the beach so Ingwersen can listen to the waves. She especially enjoys heading to Walmart, where Hallquist said old friends always come up to say hi to Ingwersen.

Ingwersen hardly misses a Sunday service at Living Word Church. Her loyal friend Dave Hissey takes her to church and often visits her.

“I learned a lot,” Ingwersen said of her 100 years of life.

She learned to laugh and have fun and she loves her family, Hallquist said.

She’s had a happy life, Hallquist added.

“We’ve had a lot of fun, haven’t we,” Hallquist said to Ingwersen, smiling.

For information about the party, call Oak Harbor Adult Family Home at 679-1040.