- January 8, 2026
Dorothy Engel celebrated her 105th birthday on Thursday, Jan. 8, before her weekly game of Bingo at the Fraternal Order of Eagles club in Ormond Beach.
Engel was born on Jan. 9, 1921 in Milton, Florida. She grew up in Chicago, Illinois, but spent her summers in Florida on a family farm with her cousins.
After completing school, Engel worked in her family's liquor store in Chicago, attended secretarial school and worked as an operator. She later became a courthouse clerk and a real estate agent. While living in California, she worked as a model for Buffums department store.
Engel married her husband Charles, a captain in the U.S. Marines, and together, they shared 68 years of marriage. They had two sons, Jack and Ron.
"She used to travel with her husband," said her friend, Lucia McLoughlin. "He loved to travel and they had an RV."
Engel moved to Ormond Beach in 1978. She has received two mayor's proclamations for past birthdays — one on her 100th, and one on her 103rd.
