Diaries, letters, photos give family vivid view of Hampton centenarian's life adventures

Time has blurred many of Margot Abarotin’s most cherished memories.

But when the Hampton woman celebrated her 100th birthday on Sept. 27, she still was spry enough to gather with close family to reminisce about her life adventures through a series of illustrated diaries, photo albums and letters she kept.

“People of my mother’s generation, especially ones like her who immigrated here, did a lot of letter writing because it was the only way to communicate with family members across the ocean,” said Abarotin’s daughter, Sonja Kassouf. “We feel lucky to have them, now that she can no longer recall details of many of the things she experienced.”

Though she has difficulty with long-term memory, the letters and diaries help Abarotin with recall and are able to give family members a rare glimpse into the centenarian’s life as a young adult.

Born in Stuttgart, Germany, during the depression that hit between the two World Wars, Abarotin had a keen ability to grasp the foreign languages she studied, including French, English and Spanish.

Her language skills played an important role in her quest for adventure and a better life.

Abarotin joined a group of other young women who traveled by train to work in LaRochelle, France, where she became fluent in the language.

“One of the entries she wrote while living in France was about an incident that must have been frightening and embarrassing for her but made us laugh when we read it,” Kassouf said. “At that time many people didn’t own a lot of clothing or shoes. One time she was out in the rain and her shoes got wet, so she put them on the roof of the greenhouse that was outside her second-floor apartment.

“But when she went to retrieve them they slid down the glass and she had to climb onto the greenhouse roof to get them. When she did that, she crashed through the glass and landed on a table where a couple was having a romantic encounter.”

Abarotin’s proficiency in English led to a job in Oxford, England, to serve as an au pair before emigrating to the United States in 1952 to live with her aunt and uncle in Squirrel Hill.

Once in Pittsburgh, her ability to speak and translate foreign languages helped her land a job as a secretary for M. Graham Netting, a renowned herpetologist and director of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History from 1954 to 1975. She also worked for William Steinberg, music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra between 1952 and 1976.

Abarotin’s life as a working woman ceased when she met and married Russian immigrant Eugene Abarotin.

After moving the family to Murrysville in 1963 so Eugene could be closer to his job, Abarotin settled into suburban life and becoming active in the community.

“My mother had to improve her driving skills to get around, but it wasn’t too long before she was driving three children to music and dance lessons, Scouts and volunteering for Meals on Wheels and other organizations,” Kassouf said. “She visited the home-bound and took us with her so we would learn what the elderly long for.”

After neighbors learned that Abarotin taught her daughters to play the piano, she spent years using her living room as a studio to teach other children to play.

The Abarotin family also grew during the years following the Vietnam War, when the mission the couple supported asked if they would sponsor a refugee from the war torn country.

“That’s when our brother Duong, who was 17 years old at the time, became part of our family,” Kassouf said.

The couple also opened their home to others who needed help during difficult times, and while they were in their 70s and 80s they traveled to Russia on mission trips to aide orphanages and hospitals.

When caring for her home and husband, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, became too difficult, the couple moved to Hampton to live closer to Kassouf. Eugene Abarotin passed away in 2011 and Margot Abarotin now lives with her daughter.

Abarotin takes no credit for longevity and said there is no secret to living a long life.

“It’s up to God,” she said. “I’m healthy, and I’m happy.”

Kassouf encouraged people to take the time whenever possible, as her mother did, to preserve moments to share with those who come after.

“Our family is so grateful that my mother thought to save her letters and photographs and to keep diaries during her life,” she said. “It’s been wonderful to be able to look at her past and see the wonderful life she led.”