If you want to die young, try to keep up with the young people. But if you want to live a long time, just be around young people.

That was the motto by which Emily MacDonald lived her life. A successful businesswoman with a zest for life, she lived up to every word of it.

Mrs. MacDonald, of Zelienople and formerly of Slippery Rock Borough, died Feb. 3, at Valencia Woods Nursing Center. She was 103.

"That was something my dad always used to tell her, about living a long time," said her son, A. James MacDonald, of Zelienople. "They both lived by those words."

Born May 30, 1904 in Pittsburgh, Mrs. MacDonald was the daughter of William and Rachel Mason Schauweker.

She and her husband, Albert, owned and operated Rock Falls Park in Slippery Rock from 1946 until 1952.

The park was originally known as Stoughton's Beach and had been closed during World War II. The MacDonalds, who had previously owned a snack bar business, changed the name when they bought it. The park's swimming pool was a major attraction during that time because it was one of the largest in Pennsylvania, with 10- and 20-foot diving boards that were used every Sunday for diving exhibitions.

The park hosted annual picnics for many groups and it flourished while under the ownership of the MacDonalds.

"I think that park is what kept them both young," said Mr. MacDonald. "My mother lived an exciting life, and so did my father. And since I was their only child, I lived a pretty exciting life, too."

The MacDonalds lived in Pittsburgh when they owned the park, but spent every summer in Slippery Rock running the facility.

"Those were some of the best times of my life," said Mr. MacDonald.

The park was an attraction not only to local people, but also to some pretty famous ones. Among the well-known people of the era who stayed there was radio host Arthur Godfrey.

The MacDonalds ended up moving to the Slippery Rock area permanently after they sold the park.

Mr. MacDonald said his mother taught him many things in life, including a love of nature.

"She also loved to target shoot, which is something not many people knew about her," he said. His mother also played on the women's basketball team while a student at Crafton High School and was rather good at the sport. She was a member of the Crafton Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star and the AARP.

In addition to her son and daughter-in-law, Mrs MacDonald is survived by two granddaughters.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Albert J. MacDonald in 1999.

Services were held Tuesday at the McDonald-Aeberli Funeral Home in Mars. The Rev. Ronald Brown, pastor of Hope Lutheran Church, Cranberry, officiated. Entombment was in the Zelienople Mausoleum.