EMERSON—Cake, roses, and a roomful of admiration marked the Borough Council’s Jan. 20 meeting as officials celebrated longtime resident Francesca Ianora on her 105th birthday.
Mayor Danielle DiPaola — once Ianora’s fifth-grade student — read a proclamation honoring Ianora’s life of teaching and public service in Emerson, where she has lived since 1956.
The proclamation designated Jan. 23, 2026 as “Francesca Ianora Day” in the Borough of Emerson.
“After what you said, I’m absolutely speechless,” Ianora told the mayor, drawing warm smiles from the audience.
Ianora turned 105 on Jan. 23. DiPaola said she might be the oldest living resident in Emerson’s history and asked Borough Clerk Triessa DeSimone to research the record.
The proclamation highlighted Ianora’s 29-year career teaching elementary school in Emerson and her decades of volunteer service, including 22 years teaching English as a Second Language at the Emerson Public Library — work she continued through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a direct result of her love of teaching, she has taught English to many in order for them to participate in the Emerson community, obtain citizenship and driver’s licenses, improve job performance, and better communicate with their children’s teachers,” the proclamation read.
She was born Jan. 23, 1921, in New York City, and moved to Emerson in 1956 after getting married. She and her late husband, Armand, raised two daughters, Elaine and Mary, both retired teachers; she also has five grandchildren: Justin and Christian Decker, and Steven, David and Katherine Levkoff.
Before moving to Emerson, Ianora taught at the New York School for the Deaf, the English Secondary School and the Berlitz School in New York City.
She later served more than 24 years on the library’s Board of Trustees and moderated the Great Books Discussion Group for more than 22 years, where participants from surrounding towns gathered to discuss writers such as Plato, Dante and Kafka.
She also served on the Emerson Centennial Committee and has long been a lector at the Church of the Assumption.
“Emerson recognizes with respect and admiration the contributions of Francesca Ianora,” DiPaola read. “She is one of the most treasured residents in Emerson, touching so many lives as a teacher and as a neighbor.”
‘The beginning of a whole lifetime of blessings’
After the proclamation, Ianora shared memories of the decision that brought her family to Emerson nearly 70 years ago.
“What we’re doing tonight is remembering all the blessings of my life,” she said. “And it started with having doting parents, lots of relatives, and good neighbors and friends.”
One of those blessings, she said, was choosing Emerson.
“My sister-in-law Pauline and I decided we wanted a house in the suburbs — with a front yard, a back yard, and neighbors,” she said. “It sounded wonderful, except our husbands were allergic to mortgages,” she added, drawing laughter.
Undeterred, the two women began house-hunting. Homes they saw ranged from $12,000 to $15,000 before they settled on one priced at $19,999.
They read about the new Emerson Manor development in The New York Times, packed their children into the car, and drove from Brooklyn to see a model home. They put down a $5 reserve deposit on houses across the street from each other.
“That was the beginning of a whole lifetime of blessings,” Ianora said.
Over time, she said, their husbands “became acclimated” to mortgages — “and thankfully we were able to do so.”
‘Very proud of Emerson…’
“It’s been a good day, it’s been great. A very blessed, happy time,” she said. “I’m very proud of Emerson. I can never say thank you enough for a good lifetime.”
DiPaola called Ianora a gifted and dedicated educator, and thanked her “for blessing us with your presence for 70 years.”
Councilman Michael Timmerman presented Ianora with a cake, and Councilman O’Neil Ellis presented her with a dozen gorgeous red roses.