Birthday surprise: 100-year-old veteran honored by children in Newtown for service

With a little help from his friend Layla Leuthy Beck, Joseph Gagliardi of Newtown enjoyed a special 100th birthday Friday, as the Newtown Fire Association escorted by township police, delivered 100 birthday cards to him.

Layla asked her first-grade classmates at St. Andrew School in Newtown to write the cards so she could take them to her friend.

Gagliardi, who served in the Navy during World War II on a PT Boat that escorted General Douglas MacArthur and saw President John F. Kennedy who was also assigned to PT duty, would go to elementary schools in his younger days to talk about his military service.

He missed that duty and Layla remembered Monsignor Michael Picard, pastor at St. Andrew's parish, telling the children the importance of service to others. So she thought she would ask them to help her provide her friend with cards for his milestone birthday.

Layla met Gagliardi when she accompanied her grandmother, nurse Nancy Webster, to the home of Gagliardi's daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Bob Thomas and their daughter, Angela, where he's lived since having a heart attack in June. Webster and Nancy Thomas are friends.

"She's developed a special bond with him," Webster said of Lalya. She has "frequently visited Joe and found ways to help him recover, including making cards, entertaining, exercises, singing, dancing and applying lotion to his dry skin."

Since Gagliardi missed the school visits and receiving thank you notes from the students, Layla thought the birthday cards would be a great idea. Her teacher, Allison Morgan, helped the children with the assignment.

Gagliardi was to be watching out front as he does every nice day, when the procession including Layla on a fire truck, arrived.

"I really hope other kids will start writing cards and give them to veterans," Layla said.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Newtown girl honors 100-year-old Navy vet for his birthday