By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES— The person who sang The National Anthem with the most gusto, initiated the dancing at his party and grabbed a chair to dance with when his partner momentarily bowed out turned 100 years old on Saturday.

Naples resident Larry Balboni, a World War II veteran and recipient of the Purple Heart, celebrated his 100th year on earth with a gathering at the American Legion Post 155.

He was born Nov. 2, 1924.

He was extremely pleased with the party.

“I was very thrilled by the turnout, the number of people who showed up and the variety of people who showed up: A combination of family, old friends and new friends,” he said a few days later.

It delighted him that some of the guests were “my old skiing buddies. A whole bunch showed up who skied with me on the ski patrol.”

His time with the ski patrol was a high point in his life. He spent 25 years at Okemo Mountain Ski Resort  in Vermont and five years at Pleasant Mountain in Bridgton.

At the age of 98, Balboni hit the slopes at the local ski resort. The only reason he didn’t ski last winter, while he was 99, is the lack of a good snowfall, he said.

“I didn’t ski last year because it was a lousy winter. Lots of rain and warm weather, which was a bad inducement for someone who wanted to ski,” Balboni said.

He plans to ski a couple of run this winter if Mother Nature agrees. He’s got friends who’ve promised to help him with his gear. 

“My friend Dale says, ‘You’re a beautiful skier, Larry.’ He is right. I am,” Balboni said.

The question on everybody’s lip is: How did he live so long? What is his secret?

He attributed his longevity to decades of physical conditioning (bicycling and downhill skiing) as well as his family genetics. He has lived as long as he has due to “the fact that had I’ve had a physical conditioning program all of my adult life,” he said.

“Some people sit down and relax. Other people are like me and ride a bicycle 25 miles. I don’t know how many times I’ve ridden around Long Lake on my bicycle,” Balboni said.

“Also, my family genes. All of them lived to be in their 90s. My mother lived to be 92. I have two sisters. One lived to 100; another sister lived to be 97. Both were older than me. I have a younger brother who lived to be 93. We have longevity in our genes,” Balboni said, adding, “My father died of lung cancer. He was a smoker and brought about his own mortality.”

Speaking of mortality, Balboni survived WWII, being discharged after an injury in Belgium. He served as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, 508 Regiment, which was sent to Holland and Belgium.

He was eager to serve his country but too young when the war began.

“In 1941, I was still in high school. In December of ’41, I was in my last year of high school and only 17. When I graduated in 1942, I was still 17,” he said. “I wanted to serve. I tried to get into the Navy and they said I was too young. I had to be 18. Also, they required two years of college. They told me to apply with the Army. When November came [his birthday month], I was eligible for the draft. I was drafted in 1943. I went through the Army’s basic training course. I passed that successfully. In fact, they wanted to make me an instructor. That is how I qualified for becoming an army aviation cadette — the aptitude and intelligence test,” he said.

He was awarded the Purple Heart after his arm was injured in Belgium.

He is proud of his service to the Town of Naples.

“I was chairman of the Planning Board for about seven year. I was on the Naples Budget Committee, on three different comp plan committees. I was on the committee that brought the town up to date on enhance 911. We re-numbered every house in town. I was on the Board of Director for the Naples library,” he said.

Two librarians showed up to his birthday party: Former head librarian Christine Powers who traveled from New York and current Director of the Naples Public Library Dani Longley.

Not only is Balboni a steadfast supporter of the local library, but he also loves reading books.

“I am a prolific reader, mostly non-fiction. I want to find out things that are real, not imagined. I have a very eclectic taste in books. I have many interests: astronomy, psychology and philosophy,” he said.

The books he has been reading now are by philosophers Sam Harris and David Hume.

“It’s regarding life in general,” he said.

In addition to keeping his mind sharp by reading books, Balboni kept his body in good shape after he retired from at 58. His dedication to an exercise program allowed him to do in his 80s and early 90s the same activities he enjoyed in his 60s.

“I worked out at least six days a week. I built up my body, kept my flexibility and kept my joint movement up to top level. I was still riding bicycle in the early 90s,” he said. “I was always a good athlete and enjoyed athletics. But, I wasn’t big enough for football. I could shine in most sports except football.”

When asked if he would do anything different in his lifetime, football and flying were two things at which he would have liked to excel.

“I would do everything the same. I would eat a hell of a lot more food and be a bigger person. I can’t complete with 6-foot 4 guys,” he said. “I tried to be an airplane pilot for United States Army Air Force. I failed in that.”

Yet, the regrets are minimal.

“I pretty much accomplished most the things I set out to do. I wasn’t afraid of anything, except flying,” he said.

He cherishes time spent with family.

“I like spending time with my granddaughter Leslie and her two boys, my great grandsons. She spends a lot of time at the lake here, from April/May through September,” he said.

There are other celebrations to look forward to this month.

“We will probably have Thanksgiving here,” he said.