Area residents are putting a creative spin on birthday celebrations during the coronavirus pandemic, when social distancing is highly recommended and group gatherings are banned, to make sure that their loved ones still know they care and want to mark the day in a memorable and special way.
Monday, Bellefontaine resident Devry Barker was celebrated by her family and friends with a surprise parade complete with nearly 30 cars driving by her Ashbrook Drive residence for her 50th birthday.
The Honda Transmission associate said she had no idea what was going on when her mother told her to grab a warm coat and head outside around 4:30 p.m. Then she was greeted by the sight of her loved ones, co-workers and neighbors parading by the house, honking their horns and many of the vehicles decorated with happy birthday signs, including “Fabulous at Fifty” and “Devry Rocks 50.”
“I can’t believe everyone who showed up today. This is just too sweet,” Barker said, while wiping away a few tears. “Even though we couldn’t do our usual party with our extended family, I’ll definitely never forget this.
“I had to tell myself to stop tearing up and enjoy watching all the cars go by. I’m so thankful for everyone who came out — they’re so thoughtful.”
A number of individuals stopped by to quickly drop off cards and gifts at their driveway. Barker’s family laughed at seeing the variety of gifts, including toilet paper, an in-demand pandemic item.
Barker’s daughter, Mandy Goetzke of Columbus, said she had the idea to organize the birthday parade for her mother after seeing similar ideas online.
“I was so bummed that we couldn’t get together to do our usual party for her and this year is her 50th,” she said. “So I sent messages to her siblings, and it just grew from there.
“The hardest part was keeping it a surprise because she’s so active on social media. It was a lot of fun to surprise her today and I could tell she really enjoyed it.”
In a second creative birthday effort, the family of another Bellefontaine woman is turning their disappointment of not being able to host a party for her 100th birthday April 12 into another blessing for their mother.
They are hosting a card shower for her, inviting the community to send cards to: Beulah English at Campbell Place, 356 Kent Drive, Room 133, Bellefontaine, Ohio, 43311.
“Her birthday is April 12, which is Easter Sunday, and we previously had planned to have party for her the following Saturday,” her daughter, Barbara Jacobs said.
“However, with the dangers surrounding the coronavirus, it’s not possible to do that now, so we’d like to shower our mother with as many cards as we can to let her know how special she is. She deserves a big celebration for living 100 years.”
The former Beulah Curl grew up in East Liberty. Jacobs suspects her mother might have met her father, Louis G. “Bud” English, a West Mansfield native, through basketball, a sport that her parents both played in their early years.
The family moved to the Bellefontaine area around 1954, and Beulah and Bud have three daughters, Jacobs of Bellefontaine, Marsha Meredith of Perrysburg and Teresa Zedeker of Powell. They also have 11 grandchildren and a number of great-grandchildren.
While Mr. English passed away in 2003, Mrs. English was able to live independently until June of 2019, when she suffered a stroke at the age of 99, Jacobs said.
Throughout her lifetime, Mrs. English was an expert seamstress and Jacobs related that her mother made all of her own clothing and also sewed for friends and family. Until her stroke in June, she also sold scarves at her daughter’s store in Dublin, Ohio.
“I never had a store-bought outfit until I was out of school,” Jacobs said of her mother’s sewing abilities. “She also sewed my daughter’s wedding dress; it had pearls and was absolutely beautiful.”
Mrs. English retired from DAB and remains quite energetic at nearly 100 years old.
“She is an amazing lady. Now we tell her it’s her turn to sit down and relax — she has earned it,” her daughter said.