Maurine Taylor has advice for anyone with aspirations of living to 100: be happy.

“Every day put together the best attitude you can and have a cocktail,” says the 99-year-old Orcas resident.

On Oct. 10, Taylor will celebrate a century of living during a party with her two sons, three grandchildren, eight great-grand children and a long list of Orcas friends.

“With any luck, the new baby will be there at the party,” her son Steve said. “That is the only great-grandchild she hasn’t met.”

Maurine has a lot of pals on Orcas, where she spends her summers. She goes to the Orcas Senior Center luncheons twice a week (on Oct. 11 she will be treated to cake and ice cream) and most of her days are spent visiting good buds around the island, going to the Exchange and taking rides on the ferry. In Palm Springs, her winter locale, she enjoys golfing.

One of Maurine’s favorite activities is finding dolls at the Exchange.

She began collecting dolls because “she thought she needed some cheerleaders,” says her caregiver Mai McNamara.

Looking back on her 100 years of living, Maurine is most proud of raising her children and being able to speak French. Although she did not attend college, she was adamant that both her sons go to university.

Maurine has been coming to Orcas from May through October for the past 40 years. Her husband, a lawyer in Seattle, passed away 30 years ago. She has maintained independence for decades, only recently hiring caregivers. In addition to McNamara, who spends the day with Maurine, caregiver Sharie Horne lives in the guest house. Maurine has been free of any major health issues and McNamara says she is “strong as a horse.”

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden sent Maurine a congratulatory letter for her centenarian achievement. When discussing the letter, she beamed with pride.

“Amazingly for her age, she is up for anything,” McNamara said. “Maurine is a real example of what you’d want to be when you reach 100. She’s a firecracker.”