Do the waters of Addison Township’s Lakeville Lake possess magical powers or medicinal properties? Probably not.

But don’t tell that to Cora Schram, who celebrated her 100th birthday on March 10.

When asked to share the secret of her longevity, she immediately replied, “I swam in Lakeville Lake.”

The 460-acre lake has figured prominently in Schram’s century on the planet.

Her family has owned lakefront property there since 1906. That’s when her father, William Emke, purchased the land for $150. He then built a house on it that still stands today.

Born in Romeo, Emke worked in gold mines near Boise, Idaho before coming to Detroit in 1904, according to his 1934 obituary in the Detroit Free Press. He built a house in the city and worked as the building superintendent for Goebel Brewing Co.

For decades, the Emke family used the house on Lakeville Lake as a place to gather, spend free time and recreate. When the weather was warm, they fished and swam. When the lake froze over, they skated on it.

“I was always in the water,” Schram said.

Schram’s daughter, Carol Vernier, who lives in Addison Township, said the family makes sure she gets in the water “every year.”

“It feels colder now,” Schram noted.

When she wasn’t splashing around in the lake, she was doing laps in a pool as part of the swim team at Eastern High School in Detroit. It’s now named Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School.

“Water draws me,” Schram said.

According to Schram, her father had an opportunity to purchase all of the land between the family’s lake house and Rochester Rd. for $500, but her mother put the kibosh on it.

“She wouldn’t let him buy it. She said, ‘What do we need with more property?’” Schram recalled.

In 1936, she met the love of her life, Clarence Schram. He proposed on Oct. 30, 1939 and the two were married on Feb. 14, 1941 at the First English Evangelical Lutheran Church in Detroit, which later moved to Grosse Pointe Woods.

The couple enjoyed 73 years of marriage before Clarence passed away on July 22, 2014, the day before his 98th birthday.

“I don’t think I ever had an argument with him. He was a good guy,” Schram said. “I got the right guy.”

Their union produced three children – Bob Schram, of South Lyon; Debbie Steyaert, of Tecumseh; and Vernier. From them sprang nine grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

While raising their kids, Schram and her husband continued to work and live in Detroit.

Clarence was employed by R.L. Deppmann, which opened in 1927. In 1971, he was one of 10 employees who purchased the company and became co-owners.

For many years, Schram worked as a secretary at the Merrill-Palmer Institute (now called the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Child and Family Development). The institute, which is part of Wayne State University, trains parents, teachers, students and researchers in child development issues.

Vernier noted her mother used to be a whiz at shorthand.

In 1974, Schram and her husband began living in the lake house on a full-time basis.

Schram continues to reside there, assisted by her three children, who take turns seeing to her needs seven days a week.

“We are blessed to have her here and we want to keep her here,” Vernier said. “We made a promise that we would do this. It’s important to her and it’s important to us.”

One of Schram’s favorite parts of lake living is watching the picturesque sunsets.

“They’re wonderful,” she said.

“The beautiful array of pinks and blues just makes her day,” Vernier added.

Schram enjoys keeping a close eye on the lake’s plethora of waterfowl, especially when feathered mothers swim past the house with their babies in tow.

“You get to be personal friends with the ducks,” she said.

Enhancing her enjoyment of the lake is Schram’s daily observance of the cocktail hour during which she sips half-a-glass of jug wine, specifically Carlo Rossi Rhine Wine.

“She’s not a lady who needs fancy stuff,” Vernier said.

Over the course of her 100 years, Schram has eaten countless fresh fish harvested from the lake and it’s still one of her favorite foods. She said she loves to eat bluegill or “whatever (comes) out of the lake that day.”

With her family’s help. Schram plans to remain in Lakeville until she shuffles off her mortal coil.

“I just can’t imagine living any place else,” she said. “It’s home.”