A Birthday Celebration for Millie, the Centenarian

Celebrating 100 years on Earth is a pretty big deal, and so is Millie to the staff and residents of Barrington Terrace of Naples. By any stretch, she is one of the most popular residents, so the community gladly came together to celebrate this beautiful person and a life well lived for the past century. 

Millie’s daughter, Bev, for the past year had been planning a special birthday gathering of family and friends worthy of a centenarian. The special celebration was to be held a couple of days prior to her birthday. Unfortunately, these plans were made pre-COVID-19, and given current circumstances, Millie would not be able to attend her own 100th birthday party. 

The party went on as planned without the birthday girl; however, the celebration was videotaped from start to end, with guests recording special well wishes to her. Millie’s loved ones also sang “Happy Birthday” and cut her cake, as if she was present. 

On Millie’s actual birthday, her daughter scheduled a drive-thru visit to Barrington Terrace. She brought a small cake, as well as an iPad loaded with the recorded celebration. Millie watched her birthday festivities and was ecstatic to see everyone, as evidenced by her bright smile and tears of joy. She thanked her daughter and recorded comments back to family and friends via the tablet. Onlookers in the community were filled with emotion as they watched.

After visiting with her family, Millie had lunch in the community’s dining room, where staff and residents sang “Happy Birthday” to her again before digging into her delicious cake. Despite the current health pandemic and social distancing guidelines, this was truly a 100th birthday celebration for Millie to remember.