Feb. 13—ORWIGSBURG — Ann Valentine and her great-niece, Emily Rose Valentine, have a lot more in common than sharing the same surname.

They're independent, determined and not afraid to speak their own mind.

Not only that, they were both born on Valentine's Day.

As off the charts as it might seem, it's true — two women named Valentine were both born on Valentine's Day, although 72 years apart.

Today, Ann turns 95, and Emily turns 23.

On Saturday, three generations of the Valentine family gathered in Orwigsburg to celebrate the pair's birthday.

In what has become a family tradition, the Valentines assembled around a table adorned with hearts and an appropriately themed cake for the birthday girls.

John Valentine — Emily's dad and Ann's nephew — said they're both incredibly determined, strong women.

"They go together like magnets," said John, a PPL engineer.

Whether it's in the genes or just fate, Emily shares the same work ethic as her great-aunt, who was a longtime sewing machine operator in a garment factory.

As she pursues a doctorate in biomedical engineering, Emily works part time in an Orwigsburg area restaurant.

People usually react in disbelief, Emily said, when they realize her name is Valentine and she was born on Valentine's Day.

"No way," is the typical reaction, she said. "Some people think it's weird."

Far from being upset, she embraces the connection with her great-aunt.

Emily sat with her arm on the back of her great-aunt's chair, embracing Ann as she recounted episodes from the Valentine family history.

The daughter of Abraham and Assunta Valentine, who traced their roots to the Tyrol region of Austria-Hungary, she grew up in Middleport.

The youngest of four children, Ann had a twin brother, the late Arthur Valentine, who had been an engineer at the former Pottsville Hospital.

She had the party in stitches when she revealed her parents weren't expecting twins.

"The doctor said, 'wait a minute, I think there's another one in there,' " Ann said in a comical sort of way. "It was me."

Calvin Coolidge was president when Ann was born, the year before the stock market crash that ushered in the Great Depression.

Her father worked in a "coal hole," as Ann put it, and times were tough during the Depression.

"What stands out is our family life and my parents, who were always there for me," she confided. "We didn't have a lot of furniture, but the love was always there."

She longs for the taste of polenta and Tyrolean dumpling soup, staples brought to the coal regions by immigrants from the Dolomites.

As a teenager, Ann said, she and her older sister, Rosalie, would walk the railroad tracks from Middleport to New Philadelphia to see movies at the Lyric Theater.

She loves westerns, and Gene Autry, the singing cowboy, was her favorite actor. To successive generations, Autry is best known for his recording of "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

Ann remained single, but with a twinkle in her eye, confided it was not for lack of suitors.

She currently lives with Debbie Valentine Ridge, a niece, in Pottsville.

Mary Lou Woznisky, a niece, attributed Ann's longevity to her seemingly boundless energy and a positive outlook on life.

Donna Valentine Reynolds, also a niece, sees Ann as somewhat of a mentor.

"She's quite a role model," said Reynolds, who has worked in marketing at Air Products and Chemicals near Allentown for 42 years. "It's wonderful when we can get together with her."

At 95, Ann says she's happy with her life and wouldn't change a thing.

The only surviving member of her immediate family, she attributes her longevity to providence.

"It's because of God's blessing that I'm still here," Ann said. "Life is good; let's just say I made it."

Though they are separated by seven decades, Emily feels closer to her great-aunt this Valentine's Day.

Listening to Ann talk at length, Emily realized the central role the family has played in her great-aunt's life.

"When she was talking about her family," Emily recalled, "she was over the moon."

The Valentine's Day birthday parties in the Valentine household, she said, have taken on a new meaning.

"I'm even more appreciative of our family gatherings," Emily said. "Seeing how much she values them has made me value them all the more."

Contact the writer: rdevlin@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6007

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