Going strong: David Elder celebrates 100th birthday in style

Apr. 10—Ask David Elder what the secret to a long life is, and he'll tell you, "Work Hard and don't drink pop."

During Elder's 100th birthday celebration, held Saturday in Woodstock, Elder was asked why he hated pop in particular.

"There was an old doctor at Mt. Vernon named Buford — and he's dead now — but he told me that everything in it was poison. And he said, 'Don't drink that stuff,' and I quit. That's been 40 years ago or more. I don't ever touch any pop."

He does, however, drink coffee, and according to great-granddaughter Kelsea Allen, he has it with his Cheerios.

Elder was the center of attention at the celebration, greeting each of the hundreds of folks who turned up to talk with him.

He took all of the attention in stride, sitting next to his wife of 76 years, Edna (herself 93 years old), accepting the handshakes and birthday cards with a smile on his face.

There were even four generations of descendants on hand, from children all the way to great-great-grandchildren.

According to granddaughter Kathy Waters, David and Edna have five children (four who are living), seven grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren, seven great-great-grandchildren, "and a couple more on the way."

Among the accolades David Elder received over the weekend were more than 250 birthday cards, a celebration at the local VA Clinic, a coin and commendation from Citizens Bank, and letters from both President Joe Biden and Governor Andy Beshear.

On Saturday, the gifts kept coming in, as Pulaski County Judge-Executive Marshall Todd proclaimed Elder a Pulaski County Colonel, and members of the American Legion Post 38 presented him with a flag that had flown over the U.S. Capitol building in his honor on March 23, 2023, courtesy of U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers.

The flag was flown in his honor and in recognition of all of the accomplishments David Elder has had, including being a World War II Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient.

Elder was a part of K Company in the 180th Infantry, 45th Division, which assisted in the European theater during World War II.

Elder said his group went from Italy to France to Luxembourg to Germany, and he even wrote a poem about his experiences, that Elder pointed out was on display in the "mess hall" at the Woodstock Community Center during his birthday celebration.

The poem reads, in part: "Artillery was falling and shells all around./Soldiers were lying all over the ground./The enemy was bombing from planes in the sky./We thought any minute that we were going to die."

Elder explained that he was wounded in Germany when the enemy began shelling the forest his company was traveling through. "They shelled the trees overhead, and a piece of shrapnel busted up and came down and hit me in the arm," he said.

He went into the army when he was just 19, but when he came out of the army he dedicated his life to being a farmer. Many of the overwhelming memories of him from family members come from helping him work in the milk barn or in the tobacco field.

"He has worked hard, farmed hard all of his life. He instilled that into all of us," Waters said.

Another granddaughter, Debbie Santo, also has memories of helping on the farm. "He used to let us help milk cows, and we would feed them as he brought the cows in," She said.

Added great-granddaughter Amber Taylor, "I remember living right below him, and I would get up early in the morning, run up to the house and help him milk the cows."

Santo said he and Edna would also cook breakfast every morning and try to feed anyone who showed up — family or not.

Waters said they've heard stories from Edna about how they got help on the farm in years past. "Strangers would come walking down the street. They would stop in and be looking for work, and they would put them to work," she said.

After working in the fields all day, they would be brought inside where Edna would have supper cooked for them. Then the couple would let them stay the night. That would be be their pay.

"You can't do that now," Waters said, although she admitted they probably shouldn't have done it even back then.

On top of farmwork, the family said Elder enjoyed woodworking and building items like birdhouses and wagons. Examples of his work greeted the party guests as they entered the room on Saturday.

He still works at it too, the family says.

"He goes out into his garage, and he'll build everything," Taylor said. "He's built wagons for the grandkids and great-grandkids."

She said she still has the one he built for her. "I'll treasure that forever."

Another item he built was a much larger wagon, one that could be hooked up to his lawnmower.

Great-great-grandson Connor Burdine, who is 18 years old, has that as one of his childhood memories. "He would always pull us in the wagon with his lawnmower. And we'd always go to his house — all my cousins — and help him with work outside or something like that. ... He'd put you to work, that's for sure. He's always up and going."

Taylor and Santo said that Elder had been looking forward to his birthday party for quite a while.

"He's waited for this day for a very long time," Taylor said.

"I think his last year's birthday wish was living to 110," Santo added.

Taylor said. "And on this past Halloween, he was telling them, all the trick or treaters, that we were going to have a big party, and that they were all invited. It didn't matter if he knew them."

Elder has never met a stranger, they said, and never had any enemies. Because of that, the family said they weren't surprised by the large turnout to celebrate his birthday.

"I didn't expect anything less," Taylor said. "I figured there'd be a lot of people here. There's a lot of people who know him and respect him in our community. He's been a blessing to us, for sure. Not many people can say they know their great- or great-great grandparent."

Carla Slavey can be reached at cslavey@somerset-kentucky.com