Mary Lea Forsythe is celebrating her 25th birthday today… well, technically. She is also in the Centenarians of Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Mary Lea is a Leap Year baby born on February 29, 1924, so she has only had 25 “real” birthdays on the actual date. To celebrate this year, The Osage Hills Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR Osage Hills Chapter) prepared a surprise for Mary Lea.
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The DAR folks arranged for Mary Lea to “speak” to chapter members at the local library. She did not realize they had lured her to the library under false pretenses. When Mary Lea entered the room, she got the surprise of the century (and she would know).
During an interview, she said, “When I walked in, there were flashers going off and they were taking my picture as I came into the room. There were dignitaries from the city and there was a proclamation read. My goodness, it was shocking. The room was full of people. … I never had been that surprised in my life.”
With a huge banner across the wall and a sparkly birthday cake, everyone came together to make the day memorable. Mary Lea wasn’t alone in the room. The DAR folks also invited several of her personal friends from church and had them hiding in the audience.
Reflecting On The Past And Her Leap Year Birthdays
Mary Lea spent her life in Sand Springs, OK. She met her husband, William Wayne Forsythe (Bill), there. The two were married for 68 years until he died in 2011. They had two children, Martha and William. Reminiscing about her life, Mary says she had a fulfilling life, proclaiming, “It has been a wonderful life.”
When she was small, her family celebrated her Leap Day birthday yearly within a day or two of the missing date on the calendar. By the time she was 16, she’d only had four official Leap Year birthdays. Still, this centenarian has had 100 years of love. Congratulations on your longevity, Mary Lea! Happy “25th” birthday!
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here and here.
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