Birthday girl a witness to Santa Monica’s emergence
By WINTER JOHNSON Special to the Daily Press
Sadie Condon is preparing to celebrate her 100th birthday this Fourth of July, the 60th such Independence Day she has observed since living in Santa Monica.
Through it all — the inventions of penicillin and plastic, personally witnessing Charles Lindbergh land in Orly Field in Paris, and enduring dozens of major conflicts the world over, including World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War — Condon remained a dedicated mother and housewife. According to her first-born son, Gerald Condon, also a Santa Monica resident, the soon-to-be centenarian took care of her family through some of the most tumultuous times in American history.
Maiden Sadie Distanfield’s transatlantic story didn’t begin in Santa Monica, but in 1926 when she married Jack Condon in Cardiff, Wales. Part of a mass historical movement of immigration, the Condons decided to move to the United States for the economic opportunities that were calling many in the early 20th century, according to Gerald Condon.
Deciding that immigrating from Wales to the United States was too difficult, she and her husband resided in Paris, France, awaiting their VISA approval. After a year and a half, the Condons received their VISAs and continued west on the Beringoria, arriving at Ellis Island in New York in 1929 — the beginning of the Great Depression.
“We came to a golden land,” recalled Sadie Condon of the first time she arrived in New York, speaking from the dining room at Sunrise of Santa Monica, her senior home, where she has resided since 2003. The next few years reflected another migratory pattern throughout the United States. The couple moved from Ellis Island to Minneapolis, where Gerald Condon was born in 1931. From there, the family moved back east to Brooklyn, where son Milton Condon was born in 1934. Then, it was on to Jersey City. However, with the beginning of World War II in 1939, father Jack Condon became a chief petty officer in the U.S. Coast Guard, leading to a station assignment in Santa Monica. He came to Santa Monica, and Sadie Condon followed with sons Gerald and Milton Condon in 1944.
While her husband was in the U.S. Coast Guard, Sadie Condon remained at home, dedicating her time to raising her two boys. Since graduating from Santa Monica High School, her sons went on to become successful attorneys, with Gerald Condon raising his children within the Santa Monica school system. Five of her nine great-grandchildren also are in the local school district. After her husband’s death in 1970, Sadie Condon made her living off of the apartment buildings that she and her husband owned in West Los Angeles, as well as Social Security.
“We left Jersey City when there were cobblestones and horses defecating in the streets,” laughed Gerald Condon, 74, who moved to Santa Monica at age 13. “Coming to California was a huge contrast. I saw the Pacific Ocean and never wanted to leave.”
For the past 60 years, Sadie Condon has watched Santa Monica metamorphose from a small beach town to a major tourist destination, seeing the skyline change over the years from family-owned businesses to corporate conglomerates, the changing faces of the City Council and the various stages of the Santa Monica Pier.
“I’ve traveled a lot,” she said. “You travel the world over to see beauty and you have it right here. But they have such big buildings now.”
Affectionately known as “Mama Condon” by her fellow residents at Sunrise, Sadie Condon has been a model to her progeny, according to grandson David Condon. She also is known for the same dutiful dedication within Sunrise of Santa Monica, according to staff members there. A lover of card games and a woman with a business mind who can often be seen taking her walks around the complex, Sadie Condon has made her presence known within Sunrise, participating in the Resident Council, a group for residents to discuss concerns and give suggestions on the different departments within the home.
In all of her 100 years, she has never used a credit card, believing it wiser to pay cash, said David Condon, also a Santa Monica resident.
“She’s got strong opinions,” said Desiree Williams, director of Community Relations at Sunrise. “She’s a feisty little person with spirit.”
Though Sadie Condon herself does not believe that turning 100 reflects a grand glory, her sons disagree, as do representatives from the White House, who called Gerald Condon requesting his mother’s address. There are only 76,000 Americans who are “centenarians,” those who reach the age of 100, according to the Huffington Center on Aging, making Sadie Condon one amongst a minority.
With many friends and family, Sadie Condon will be celebrating her centenary status on Sunday.
“My mother pulled herself out of poverty to provide an economic provision for herself and children,” Gerald Condon said. “She pursued the American dream and attained it.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 2, 2005. Read the original PDF.