MARBLEHEAD — Edmund “Ned” Bullis had just one explanation for how he reached 100 years old.

“I get up every morning,” he said matter-of-factly, drawing laughter from the room packed with family, friends, and fellow residents gathered Thursday at The Mariner to celebrate his milestone birthday.

Never one to seek the spotlight, Bullis spent much of the afternoon smiling as guests stopped by to shake his hand, share stories and admire photo boards chronicling a century of adventures on the water, on ski slopes, in town government and with the family he and his late wife, Anne, built over more than six decades in Marblehead.

Bullis became the first resident to turn 100 since The Mariner opened three years ago, a milestone the assisted living community commemorated with a packed party, decorations, cake, and a proclamation from the Marblehead Select Board recognizing him as an “Honorable Centenarian of the Town of Marblehead.”

To Bullis, however, the attention seemed almost secondary.

Asked what advice he would offer younger generations, he returned to the simple philosophy that has guided much of his life.

“It’s very good to have some things you’re very enthusiastic about,” he said, quickly naming sailing among them.

Those passions carried him through an extraordinary century.

Born July 9, 1926, in Washington, D.C., Bullis grew up in Port Washington, New York, before serving two years in Japan during the post-World War II occupation. Returning home under the GI Bill, he earned a degree in economics from Yale University before beginning a career in banking and later management consulting that spanned four decades.

But while work took him around the country and across the world, Marblehead remained home.

Bullis and Anne married in 1959 and settled in Marblehead the following year, raising their two children and spending the next 60 years in their Franklin Street home.

His son, David Bullis, said his father’s love of sailing played a major role in that decision.

“One of the reasons why he and Mom moved here was because he loved to sail.”

That passion never faded.

Bullis owned several boats over the years and spent summers cruising the New England coast with his family. Asked which boat was his favorite, he didn’t hesitate.

“My own boat. Lyric was her name,” he said. He loves music, citing that he played clarinet and piano, influencing the names of his boats. 

Sea note, the launch used to venture to Lyric, was put in the ocean off of Fort Sewall earlier this season by his grandson.

When winter arrived, skiing replaced sailing. He continued hitting the slopes into his 90s, often traveling west with longtime friends after decades of family trips to New Hampshire.

The Select Board’s proclamation highlighted a lifetime of service that stretched well beyond recreation. Bullis served on the Marblehead Planning Board, led the Marblehead Historical Society as president, rarely missed a Town Meeting, and became a fixture at the Eastern Yacht Club, where he chaired committees, preserved the club’s history by digitizing archives, and received the Barker Distinguished Service Award.

Even with those accomplishments, his advice centered less on accolades than on involvement.

“I was active in my town, in my community, and I think anybody should be active in their own community,” Bullis said.

His family said Thursday’s celebration reflected exactly that.

“He loves a good party,” his daughter Louise Bullis Yarmoff said. “To see that all the people came out to celebrate with him, and when the Select Board member (Moses Grader) read the proclamation, he was more moved by that than I had expected. I think it really meant a lot to him.”

For his four grandchildren, summers in Marblehead meant time with their grandparents, whether that was heading to the beach or simply enjoying the slower pace of life together.

“It was always quite good,” his grandson, Eric Yarmoff, said of growing up with his grandfather. “We mainly came here during summer vacation, the joy of playing in the water, going to the beach… It was always a very pleasant time to come.”

Seeing Bullis reach 100 has also given his family something to aspire to.

“I’m hoping it is the same for me,” Yarmoff said with a laugh. “I’m very grateful because I share a little bit of the same genes… I too would like to live a long time.”

The feeling extended throughout The Mariner.

Engagement Associate Maya Goldman said residents know Bullis simply as “Ned,” the friendly neighbor who is always walking the halls and stopping to chat.

“Everyone knows Ned,” she said. “Even if they don’t speak to him, they see him, and they know him.”

Michael Diorio, who works as a concierge at the Mariner, said Bullis dressed for the occasion. 

“He always wears his bow ties at events like this,” he said. On this day specifically, Bullis was wearing a bow tie made by his grandson. 

As the celebration wound down, Bullis flipped through decades-old photographs of family vacations, sailing trips, and life in Marblehead.

Looking back over the memories, he smiled.

“Wonderful,” he said. “Wonderful to remember my youth.”