Shirley McConnell’s birthday was May 7, and since she was turning 100, her family began “planning a big to-do,” she said.

Explaining that she just wanted to see her family, Shirley said she had a couple of 7-month-old great-great granddaughters in Hawaii she hadn’t met yet, and other relatives in California.

But Shirley also told the family she needed to wait until after her birthday because she had a free filet mignon dinner coming at the Montana Club on May 7 because they offer 100% off for hundredth birthdays.

After that, she and her daughter, Susie McNatt, jetted off to Hawaii and then back to California, for a total of 11 birthday get-togethers. Then the pair headed home to Montana. Shirley gives credit to her daughter “because I couldn’t have done it without her.”

The Red Hat Society planned a birthday celebration for Shirley also (making it a dozen celebrations), so she donned her red hat for the group’s lunch on June 18, which featured a birthday cake with her picture as the decoration.

Before she retired, Shirley worked for the State of California for 21 years. Then she got her Screen Actors Guild card and began acting in commercials, with customers including e-Trade, Liberty Mutual, Home Instead and Big Lots, to name a few. She still has her card but says she hasn’t worked for a while.

Here are Shirley’s secrets for living to 100:

• Keep involved;
• Cultivate a positive attitude;
• Eat well;
• Stay interested in what’s going on around you.

Here’s wishing Shirley many more happy birthdays.