She’s glued to her TV, watching Venus and Serena Williams duke it out at Wimbledon.

Sitting comfortably inside her spacious bedroom, she’s the emblem of class, culture and taste.

For those reasons and then some, it is hard not to fall in love with Federal Way centenarian Jane Steels at first glance.

Having lived under the reign of 19 U.S. presidents, from Theodore Roosevelt to Barack Obama, Steels is still sitting pretty and strong.

This indomitable woman was born on March 10, 1908, in Coffeyville, Kansas. She attended Langston University in Oklahoma, where she majored in domestic science.

In 1932, she moved to California. The Great Depression was at its worst throughout the nation, but Steels was unstoppable. During that period, she singlehandedly founded and operated her own catering company for the well-to-do’s.

From television’s screen of fame to personal stage presentation, Steels became the dean of cooking shows. That was long before Julia Child and Rachael Ray.

She landed the coveted position as a home economics assistant for KABC-TV in Los Angeles in 1950. Five years later, she left that job and assumed the role as a home economist at the Department of Water and Power (DWP) in that city.

Steels’ job was to convince the general public to choose electricity over gas. It came in the form of a studio audience.

Daily, she and her colleagues demonstrated to guests how electricity could be more efficient and cleaner to cook and bake with, while saving a lot of money in the end.

Many times she made house calls for Hollywood’s rich and famous. One noted celebrity she recalled fondly was Ray Charles.

This lifelong gastronomist is very passionate about food.

“Being a career home economist,” she said, “is the perfect complement to happy homemaking for me.”

With advanced age, many people are restricted to certain food groups, but Steels said, “I eat anything you put in front of me.”

She does not buy into the popular belief that eating the right food will bring about longevity. She confessed to eating her share of junk food over the years, saying if that were the case, she would not have lived this long.

Aside from keeping abreast of current affairs and admiring her lovely garden, she regularly goes to her hairstylist and manicurist to titivate and stay rejuvenated.

Looking at her many photographs on her walls and inside her album, there’s no doubt that she is a fashion queen. She loves fine clothes and jewelry.

And whether Steels was making a Mornay sauce or a “monkey bread,” she has always done her best to give perfection to her craft, she said proudly.

What she missed most of all are the fabulous dinner parties she used to host for friends in LA, and the ability to play bridge.

Giving up bridge was very hard, she said ruefully. She used to play with a group in Seattle, but Access-A-Ride was unable to transport her back home past midnight after the tournaments.

Still feeling independent, Steels insisted on driving even after the golden age of 100. But her daughter and caretaker, May Steels-Boyakins, refused to let her drive.

It is still a family joke every time Steels recalls her daughter calling the police on her.

“I have a valid driver’s license, what do you expect me to do with it?” she said. “The police came, and asked me if I had a driver’s license, and I said yes. I showed them my license, and they told me, ‘ma’am, as long as you have a license you are free to drive.’”

That was a tough compromise for Steels’ concerned daughter. But gradually, the stubborn woman gave up, and now depends on her daughter or grandson to take her around.

What struck me most about Steels was her ability to communicate and her great sense of humor. She was as lucid as can be. There seemed to be no generation gaps.

As quickly as she recalled an event 80 years ago, she was telling me about how hard it was for her to learn of Michael Jackson’s passing. “He’s my boy!” she asserted.

I see her having no problem hanging around teenagers as well as seniors. She’s comfortable, and she knows how to fit in with any group.

Michael Boyakins, Steels’ grandson, spoke glowingly about his grandmother. As a hospital employee, he sees firsthand daily how life can be fragile. Every day he appreciates his grandmother more, he said.

“It’s scary because nobody lives forever. Two things we don’t get back in life are time and people. And that’s why I treasure my mother and grandmother so much. They are very strong women, and I love them dearly.”

After retiring from DWP in 1971, Steels could not settle down. Before long, she embarked on an ambitious project, which many a man would shy away from: building homes, in conjunction with the Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

She helped to dig ditches, assembled pre-fab homes, among other roles, to make those ventures successful.

Multiple newspaper clippings showed her at groundbreaking ceremonies rubbing shoulders with Los Angeles’ mayor, the late Tom Bradley, and countless other political luminaries of the day.

She wanted to be closer to her daughter, and that’s when she decided to move to Washington. Being the consummate independent woman, she paid cash for her home on 14th Way SW in Federal Way 16 years ago.

When asked if she was affected by the slowing economy, Steels had quite a mouthful to say.

“I don’t owe anybody anything. People should train themselves to pay their bills on time. If they do, it will reduce a lot of unnecessary stress in their lives.”

She went on to say that it’s not how much money one takes home, but how well he or she manages his budget.

Steels does not have a lot of relatives. One of two children herself, May Boyakins is her only child. Boyakins in turn gave her two grandchildren, Michael and his sister. Steels’ granddaughter is the mother of a 3-year-old boy.

Nevertheless, that did not dim the lights at Steels’ 100th birthday celebration last year in Seattle. People came out in droves to celebrate the life of this wonderful human being.

Mother Steels, at 101, life seems to have begun anew. Bright beginnings to you!