"My grandmother just turned 102 this past August," said Theresa Nick. A grandmother herself, there’s nothing Theresa Nick can’t tell you about her beloved grandma or her granddaughter, now a year old.

"I’m right in the middle of the generations because I’m the third," she explained. "There’s my grandmother Antoinette Trozzo, my mother Mary Giordano, myself Theresa Nick, my daughter Beth Napoli Budd, and my granddaughter Olivia Budd. It’s really amazing and we don’t take it for granted at all. We all cherish it."

Suffering a stroke several years before, Antoinette still lives in her own apartment in Paterson that she has lived in for the past 25 years. She now has the help of a home aide attendant.

"She’s still is a feisty lady and very particular. Her mind has remained very sharp and can tell you about anything that happened during the 20s. She’s got all her wits about her. Her caregiver takes her on an occasionally walk but she’s a little nervous to walk anywhere she’s not familiar with."

The family hails from New York City in the Washington Heights section and eventually relocated to Riverdale in the Bronx.

"This is where I grew up until I was 13 years old. I remember my grandmother being very active and working at the local Furman’s department store. We eventually moved to West Paterson so my father could be closer to his job at ITT in Nutley. My grandmother went to live in Paterson. I eventually married and my daughter and her two children were born here in New Jersey. My daughter was also a fifth generation baby because my great grandmother was still alive up until my daughter was 5 years old. Spanning generations is such a rare and wonderful gift to have."

Born in the early 1900s, Antoinette Trozzo was the eldest of six children born to Italian immigrant parents. Her three brothers all died relatively young, according to Theresa, but both of her sisters have all lived past their 90s as well.

"One of my grandmother’s sisters died at the age of 90 and her baby sister just recently turned 90 and currently resides in Las Vegas."

Theresa’s mother Mary worked in tax collector’s office for the borough of West Paterson and then worked for a local bank until retiring a few years ago. Theresa attended Memorial Middle School and Passaic Valley High School before receiving her degrees in English and education. She began her career working for a nursery school in West Paterson and taught there for six years. She has worked in Charles Olbon School in the West Paterson School District for over 22 years. Previously a kindergarten teacher, she has been a second grade teacher for the past 12 years.

"My daughter also followed suit and went into teaching," added Theresa. "She was a teacher at Memorial Middle School teaching Social Studies. When she resigned she moved up to Hackettstown with her husband to start a family." In addition to Olivia, she also has a 4-year old grandson named Dylan.

Theresa gets sentimental many times when she thinks of her grandmother.

"When I was a kid, my favorite stories were from my grandmother who would tell me all about life back in the day. Things were very neighborhood driven. When I was growing up, immediate and extended families were all living together and on holidays, you’d travel from one house to the other, which were all in close proximity," she said. "Your family made up most of your social life. Nowadays, people are having fewer kids and have friends and interests outside of the family circle."

Theresa still appreciates the fact she is a part of a family that is multi-generational.

"I still love to visit my grandmother and I think it’s wonderful to have that connection within the generations."