Woman celebrates 101st birthday with party through window – Morganton News Herald

The novel strain of coronavirus might be cancelling a lot of events around the world, but it didnt cancel Beatrice Chapmans 101st birthday Tuesday.

Chapman rang in her next year of life with friends and family gathered outside of the window of her room at The Berkeley Assisted Living Center with balloons and signs wishing her a happy birthday.

It was special to still be able to find a way to celebrate Chapmans birthday Tuesday, said her niece, Joyce Carswell.

My mother and her were sisters, Carswell said. The other two have passed, and she was the oldest. Shes still with us, so weve always kind of made over her.

Andrea Elder, Chapmans great niece, brought her children, Noah and Sarah, to the party with her.

This is four generations of us with her, Elder said.

With visitation restricted at assisted living facilities across the county, Chapmans family had to come up with a creative way to celebrate their Aunt Bea.

This is even more the event to celebrate, especially at this time, Carswell said. Since we cant be with her either at home or at the church fellowship hall, we needed to even more do as much as we could to celebrate.

One of the nurses at The Berkeley asked Chapman what her secret was to living to be 101. She told Elder the answer is simple: Do as the Bible says.

She said to treat others the way that she wanted to be treated, just like the Bible said do unto others as you would have done unto you, Elder said, quoting her great aunt.

It was just in November that Chapman came to live at The Berkeley after falling and breaking her hip in late October, requiring a replacement. Her doctor praised her the morning of the surgery, Carswell said.

He said of his three patients that day, she was the healthiest, Joyce said.

Living by herself, Chapman was thoroughly involved in church activities at Dentons Chapel United Methodist Church.

Last March or April, when the church had one of their last suppers, she fixed like six or seven desserts, said Lonna Wilson.

Shes always had that dedication to the church.

Shes an amazing lady, said Linda Saunders, who said shes gone to church with Chapman for many years. Shes always give to the church, church conversed and shes always worked for the church.

When she became a centenarian in 2019, the church celebrated in style.

We had a big fling for her when she was 100, and there was about a hundred people there, said Judy Peach. Every time Id see her she would tell me about that she was so grateful for that.

She still is able to reminisce on what life was like growing up around Burke County.

If you go to her house, she can tell you about things 80 years ago when she took care of her mom and dad and her husband, Wilson said.

Her friends and family all described her as an amazing woman.

She is a saint of God, Wilson said.

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Woman celebrates 101st birthday with party through window - Morganton News Herald