Ruth Hart, center, was “queen for a day” on Sunday, April 30, when nearly 40 cars filled with people drove past her home on Interlaken Avenue in Lake Placid to celebrate her 104th birthday. Though her official birthday was on Wednesday, May 3, Hart’s longtime friends, family, doctors and caretakers lined up their cars for a moment of celebration with Hart, who sat in the passenger seat of her daughter Nancy Beattie’s car, accepting gifts and well wishes as her cavalcade drove past. Seen here at Hart’s home, Francine Hadjis, left, gives her a kiss. (News photo — Lauren Yates)

LAKE PLACID — On Sunday afternoon, April 30, Ruth Hart smiled under the new weight of a crown that had just been placed atop her head of full, silver hair. There were three days left until her 104th birthday, and her cavalcade awaited.

More than 40 cars filled with Hart’s family, friends, caretakers, doctors, dogs and acquaintances lined up along Interlaken Avenue, waiting for their chance to drive past Hart’s home and wish her a happy birthday. She sat in the passenger seat of her daughter Nancy Beattie’s car as each one drove up and stopped for a minute or two to catch up.

The consensus among Hart’s loved ones was: Ruth doesn’t look a day over 85. She’s an idol, an inspiration, the picture of health. As many of her friends drove away, they exchanged a “See you next year!” with Hart.

When asked by the News how the last year has been, Hart said, “Heavenly.” Life is “perfect in every way.

“I just sit and get waited on and do whatever I please, and no one says no!”

Ruth Hart sits with great-grandchildren Muir, center, and Drew Shouldice, fraternal twins. (News photo — Lauren Yates)

The longtime Lake Placid resident has around seven rotating caretakers, so there’s always someone around when she needs assistance. It seems like Hart’s positivity is contagious — her daughters said the caretakers often refer to Hart’s home as their “happy place.”

Perhaps that’s because Hart makes their job easy. It’s normal for people to feel pain as they grow older, for their bodies lose strength to time. That’s not totally the case with Hart, though. When friends asked about Hart’s health on Sunday, Beattie said, “Not an allergy, not an illness, not a complaint — nothing.”

“I could be 85 — or 55,” Hart said.

Hart says that “good health must come first,” and she’s always had good health. She said she hasn’t taken care of her health in a particular way, though she mentioned drinking gallons upon gallons of milk as a young woman.

“Maybe that’s it?” Hart said.

Ruth Hart sits with daughter Nancy Beattie on April 30 during a drive-by parade to celebrate Hart's 104th birthday. (News photo — Lauren Yates)

She said she never thought about living a long time. She just lived an active life and enjoyed every day.

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Working for a living

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Hart has worked in some capacity for most of her life — as an economist, a mother and an essential volunteer around Lake Placid. Born on May 3, 1919 in Kenogami, Quebec — now part of the city of Saguenay — she attended McGill University in Montreal, graduating in 1940 with a degree in economics. She worked as an economist at Sun Life in Montreal, as well as for the International Labour Organization.

Ruth Hart's 104th birthday drive-by parade was held on Sunday, April 30. (News photo — Lauren Yates)

It was in Montreal that Ruth met her husband, the late Dr. George Hart. She worked at Sun Life while he served as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Army for almost three years during World War II. At Sun Life, Hart wrote the first minimum wage act for the nation of Iran. Hart also volunteered with the Red Cross during the war. She said she wanted to be as useful as possible.

“You went where you were needed, even if you weren’t,” she said.

After the war, Ruth and George settled in George’s hometown of Lake Placid, getting married in June 1946, and moving to their first home on Hillcrest Avenue. George died on May 13, 2014, at the age of 97. They had four daughters together: Marilyn, Nancy, Ruth Mary and Elizabeth.

In the days leading up to her 104th birthday, Hart often spoke highly of the friends she made at Sun Life, as well as of her fellow volunteers on various local boards she was a member of, which included the North Elba Zoning Board of Appeals, the Essex County and Lake Placid garden clubs, the Lake Placid Center for the Arts board, the Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee, the Camelot/St. Francis Academy board of directors, the WCFE-TV board and the village of Lake Placid Zoning Board. She’s been a longtime member of St. Eustace Episcopal Church.

Throughout her life, Hart has valued her husband, daughters and the friends she made while volunteering her time to better this village.

Ruth Hart's 104th birthday drive-by parade was held on Sunday, April 30. (News photo — Lauren Yates)

Hart discussed several times how she led the fight against the Walmart corporation coming to town in the 1990s as chair of the North Elba Zoning Board of Appeals. She often recalled the night of the last local public hearing for the Walmart case. They all sat in the Lussi rink as the ice was put down for the first time that season. As more layers went on, she said, and as the hours dragged by, their feet got colder and colder.

Hart remembered that her opposition was Kim Daby. He supported the coming of Walmart. That was hard for Hart — they were friends, and the Walmart debacle had made them “cross” with one another for a while. But when he took the stage during the last public hearing, he caught Hart’s eye and winked. She winked back.

“And the world was all right again,” she said.

In the end, Hart’s opposing party won the case — largely because of a few words she’d written in the town’s land use code: “Character of community.” Those words were used as part of the reasoning behind the New York State Supreme Court’s decision to deny Walmart’s entry into Lake Placid, Hart said.

Some of Hart’s busiest days were during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, when she worked as the chair of dignitary host services. She was in charge of decorations for the event, and she entertained dignitaries and officials like the Prince de Moreaux. Being involved with the Olympic committee certainly had its perks — she attended the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, where she sat two rows behind the queen of England during an event. She even traveled to Moscow for Olympic committee business.

Ruth Hart's 104th birthday drive-by parade was held on Sunday, April 30. (News photo — Lauren Yates)

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Keep breathing

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Despite periodic contentions on volunteer boards and the constant busyness that came with working during the Olympics, Hart said those were happy times. Hart said that work can be fun, depending on who you do it with. Hart said she even enjoyed pulling up crabgrass with the late Garth Whalley.

Outside of volunteering, gardening has always been one of Hart’s favorite activities. She has a garden plot just outside of her home, around the old cross-shaped foundation of the St. Eustace church, which was long ago relocated from what’s now her property to the church’s current location on Main Street. Her “pride and joy” in the garden was always Himalayan blue poppies, her daughters said.

Though Hart can’t garden herself anymore, she oversees gardening operations done by others. When it comes to gardening methods, Hart keeps it simple: Plant, fertilize and water.

Hart tends to harbor a similar method for living life, though she said she doesn’t have a life philosophy. On Tuesday, May 2 — the day before Hart’s 104th birthday — her daughter Marilyn said she was talking to her mother when Hart advised her to “just keep breathing.”

Take it from Ruth Hart: Enjoy every day, stay active, keep breathing — and drink your milk.

See you next year.

Ruth Hart's 104th birthday drive-by parade was held on Sunday, April 30. (News photo — Lauren Yates)