Wheatfield Commons: Celebrating a century of the good life

Ella Kraft has made many a memory, traveled many a mile and left plenty an impact in her century of life. The Tonawanda native recently celebrated her 100th birthday at Wheatfield Commons, a DePaul Senior Living Community in North Tonawanda.

Ella’s family moved from Tonawanda to a homestead her father built on Sweeney Street in North Tonawanda in 1937 – while she was still in high school. She remained connected to classmates at both schools and served on the reunion committees for many years.

Ella Kraft then, and now.

Ella and her husband, Ted, were married for 67 years and have two children, four grandsons and eight great-grandchildren. The couple loved to travel both domestic and abroad where Ella would seek out the local specialties such as shoofly pie from Pennsylvania Dutch country and grape pies from the Catskill area. They loved to square dance and round dance, and Ella made all of her own square dance dresses.

An avid seamstress and crafter, Ella made hundreds of baby quilts and bibs along with other items she would sell at local craft shows. Ella attended United Methodist Church for 70 years and has always been generous with supporting local and national organizations, according to family members. She loved to shop and would always find a great bargain! In her spare time, Ella loves to read, color and do word puzzles.

For more information about Wheatfield Commons, contact Administrator Kathy Hyland-Dion at 716-475-7600, at [email protected].

DePaul is a progressive not-for-profit organization founded in 1958. It is committed to providing quality services including assisted living programs for seniors; residential, rehabilitation and support services to persons with mental illness in recovery; addiction prevention and support programs; vocational programs; and affordable housing. For more information, call 585-426-8000 or visit www.depaul.org.