At almost 101 years old, Mickey Frankel has seen a lot and has many stories to share.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Frankel was a teenager when her boyfriend Herbert “Red” Frankel went off to fight in World War II.
“I had a boyfriend who was overseas who eventually became my husband. I got letters from him from England and from France,” said Frankel.
After high school, Frankel took a stenography course and eventually landed a job as a secretary in the World Trade Center. Years later, she watched helplessly as those same towers fell during the 9/11 attacks.
“It was a horrible thing to see those two towers coming down. That affected me very much,” said Frankel.
Frankel moved to Islamorada in 2017 to live with her daughter and son-in-law. Recently, Karen Beal from the Friends of the Key Largo Library invited her to be interviewed by home-schooled children. The nonprofit provides funding for special programs at the Key Largo library branch.
Beal thought of the interview after seeing a video clip on Facebook where children in another city talked to a 100-year-old resident.
“I thought, how many times do you get to talk to a person who is 100 years old?” said Beal. “I can think of so many questions I wish I had asked my grandmother when I was a kid.”
Beal knew Frankel from the Art Guild of the Purple Isles and thought the kids would be interested in her story.
“She’s still a feisty, quick-witted person,” said Beal.
Frankel’s daughter, Nadine Thompson, came with her to the interview.
As the children gathered inside the Key Largo Library on May 27, the questions began. Some were light-hearted while others were more serious.
“What did you do at my age?” asked an 8-year-old boy.
“I went to school, that’s for sure. If we didn’t go to school, we got whacked,” replied Frankel with a laugh.
“What did you have for breakfast?” asked another child.
“I had cereal this morning,” she answered.
“If you didn’t bike, did you skate?” a young boy asked.
“I did roller skate,” replied Frankel.
“Were you good at it?” the boy continued.
“I was okay,” said the great-grandmother.
“I thought the questions were interesting. They really wanted to relate to her,” said Beal.
Seven-year-old Willow Pabotoy asked a thoughtful question.
“What was it like living through World War II?” she asked.
“I was surprised when they asked about World War II because I didn’t expect that to come up,” said Thompson.
“I don’t remember much about living through World War II. We just did it,” said Frankel.
Frankel was born on July 12, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York, to immigrant parents from Ukraine when it was part of Russia. She was the second of three daughters. Her given name is Miriam, but she goes by Mickey, a nickname her father gave her after the baseball great Mickey Mantle. Frankel married Red Frankel on July 7, 1946. They lived and raised their three children in Brooklyn. Red passed away in 2011.
As Frankel shared her life story, a hand shot up in the back of the room. It was a question most people would want to know from someone almost 101 years old.
“What do you do to live this long?” the young boy asked.
“There’s nothing specific I do except walk. I have always been a walker,” said Frankel.
Thompson added that her mother doesn’t sit still for long. She stays busy by painting and crocheting. Her favorite TV show is “Jeopardy.”
Frankel is an active member of the Art Guild of the Purple Isles. She also participates in the JOY (Just Older Youth) Center and keeps up with her two grandchildren and great-grandson who live in other parts of the country.
“She keeps herself busy. She doesn’t do nothing all day long. I think that has a lot to do with it,” explained Thompson.
On July 12, Frankel will turn 101 years old. When asked what she is most proud of, she smiled and put her arm around her daughter.
“She is my baby,” said Frankel.
At the end of the interview, the children gathered for a picture with Frankel. They gave her a card for her upcoming birthday and had cupcakes to celebrate. As they left the library, the children politely thanked Frankel for her time.
“I thought it was fun. It was really fun,” said 7-year-old Willow.
