‘Life of the party’ turns 100

A Newport Beach woman celebrated her 100th birthday this week.

Agnes Thiers’ family described her as “the life of the party” when she dances to the big-band music at her home in Vintage Newport.

Thiers came to the United States from Wales when she was 9. She had tried to immigrate when she was 5, according to her family, but was denied at Ellis Island because of a “mysterious blister,” which authorities thought was chicken pox.

Thiers met her husband, Bill, in Chicago, where they were married in 1941. She lived in Santa Monica, where she raised her two children, and Costa Mesa before moving to Newport. In addition to her son, Edward, she has two grandsons, Jason and Timothy.

—Bradley Zint

Twitter: @bradleyzint