When asked about the secret to a long life, 100-year-old Matilda Curcia told NBC 7 San Diego that she has one beer and three potato chips every night.

She later admitted with a grin that she might eat a little more than three chips.

"I've experienced good health," Matilda said. "I have no pain and do my exercises every day. And have my beer. Eat my potato chips. That's about all."

Matilda and her neighbor, identified as Mickey, both turned 100 years old this week in San Diego within days of each other. On Saturday, they had a birthday bash in the Allied Gardens neighborhood with their families. Blue, gold and hot pink balloons shaped as "100" numerals decorated their party.

The lively pair has a friendship that spans decades. They both moved to the neighborhood around the same time and live only four doors away from each other.

Mickey worked as a nurse in the military during World War II and still has a spirited laugh. She served in Australia, New Guinea and the Philippines.

"I’ve been a general duty nurse for a long time and then World War II started. And I signed up right away to go overseas," Mickey said. "And I went to different parts where they were really fighting."



She told NBC 7 about cheering soldiers up after they came in with traumatic injuries. Some were in perfect health until they suddenly lost an arm or a leg in the war.

"Sometimes they’d come in extremely depressed and then I tried to tell about and show them about cases that would make theirs look pretty light," Mickey said.



For nearly half a century, the longtime friends have lived on the same block. The pals are still active walkers who occasionally ride their bikes.