'Still feeling good': Lakeland woman exults at surprise 105th birthday party
LAKELAND — She received a birthday cake the size of a stovetop. She welcomed a visit from the mayor. She danced with a man one-third her age.
Just another day in the life of Velma Thompson — Day 38,351, to be precise.
Thompson, the unofficial ambassador of Lake Morton Senior Living, reacted to a surprise 105th birthday party Tuesday afternoon with enthusiastic gratitude, clearly relishing the attention from the staff, fellow residents and family members as nearly 100 people gathered in the activity room.
“I can’t tell you what it means,” Thompson told the audience. “It’s too much for me to explain. It’s a great day.”
Thompson, a Plant City native, is the oldest of several centenarians at the 10-story building near downtown Lakeland, her home for the past 28 years. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that fewer than 11,000 living Americans in 2020 had reached the age of 105.
From watching the vivacious Thompson and talking to those who know her, it’s obvious that she is not merely continuing to exist. Annette Tilson, marketing director at Lake Morton Senior Living, described Thompson as a “lively social butterfly.”
“I’ve never seen her unhappy,” Tilson said. “She truly sees the good in everything and is an inspiration to us all.”
Still independent, vital
Thompson lives alone in an assisted-living wing on the sixth floor, but Tilson said she doesn’t require much assistance. The centenarian used a wheelchair Wednesday but is still able to stand and use a walker, she said.
Peggy Snow — a mere 93 — said her sixth-floor neighbor takes three meals a day in the dining room, rather than her own room, and always dresses for the occasion. Snow said she doesn’t try to keep up with Thompson’s social calendar.
“She's a very active person who gets involved with everything they have,” Snow said. “I've known her to get upset if something came up and she couldn't go to the entertainment. If there’s entertainment, she's going to be there.”
She added: “One day, it was a matter of getting her hair done or entertainment and she took entertainment.”
Thompson made her entrance Wednesday afternoon, pushed in her wheelchair by her son-in-law, Billy Friend. Thompson wore a snazzy blouse with a flower design in scarlet and gold, a sparkly and colorful headband, metal bracelets on both wrists and rings on at least half her fingers.
She waved her hands exuberantly as she rolled into the room, her eyes widening as she glimpsed the cake that read “Happy 105th Birthday, Ms. Velma,” adorned with purple and yellow flowers.
Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz joined Thompson at the front of the room as about 50 residents occupied chairs facing them. Several of Thompson’s family members sat at a table beside her, with additional observers behind them.
Mutz read a letter to Thompson before handing her a copy. Saying he spoke for the Lakeland City Commission, Mutz read, “Velma, we are thinking of you on this extraordinary day and send warm wishes for continued happiness in the year ahead.”
Mutz said he had been warned not to play cards against Thompson. The birthday lady then took a wireless microphone from the mayor and showed her ability to work a room.
“That was fantastic,” Thompson said brightly. “Who could ever imagine getting this old and getting treated super-super?”
O’Toole wheeled Thompson to the table holding the birthday cake. Jenifer Roys, the regular entertainer at Lake Morton Senior Living, led a rendition of “Happy Birthday to You,” as Thompson beamed and held her hands clasped over her heart.
“You can’t imagine the feelings I have and the happiness I’ve got this very moment,” Thompson said. “And to see all the lovely people that I know and that I care about is something you hardly ever get to see.”
She continued: “It’s a blessing to live here; it really is. And I hope I see every one of you every day right on down the road. I’m not promising you how long, but there’s no telling. … I don’t know if anybody else has had a party like this. It is unreal, unbelievable. It is a good, good, good day; a happy, happy, happy day.”
From the back of the room, a man called out, “All because of you, Grandma.”
Acknowledging her audience, Thompson later said, “Thank you for being here. I don’t know who is the most beautiful here, but you all look really sharp.”
Roys soon serenaded Thompson with a version of “Wind Beneath My Wings,” featuring the line, “Did you ever know that you’re my hero, and everything I would like to be?”
As Roys continued the entertainment, singing along to background music on such songs as “Celebration” and “Ghostbusters,” a few of the residents took to the dance floor. Steven Warnick, an employee with Enhabit Health, approached Thompson and coaxed her into a dance, holding her up as they swayed together to “My Girl.”
“She’s very outgoing, and she loves Lake Morton and she loves that she lives here,” Snow said. “She likes to be the star, and she deserves it.”
Husband waited 61 years
When Thompson was born in 1918 as Velma Morgan, Woodrow Wilson was president (the first of 19 she has lived to see), World War I was still going and a worldwide flu pandemic raged. Most Americans did not own automobiles and commercial air travel was in its infancy.
Thompson, a graduate of the defunct Turkey Creek High School, has outlived three husbands and wears all three wedding rings. Her third spouse, Edward Thompson died in 2015 at age 98.
“My last husband was my high school sweetheart, but I wouldn't marry him (then) because I didn't want to move somewhere else,” she said during a brief interview. “But I ended up marrying him 61 years later.”
They reconnected when both were residents at Lake Morton Senior Living, Tilson said.
Thompson descends from the Hamilton and Morgan families, the latter for whom Morgan Creek in southwest Lakeland is named. Her family once owned the land that now holds Lakeland Linder International Airport, Friend said.
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The matriarch said she has three daughters and one son, six grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Thompson regularly joins chair aerobics classes and other seated exercise programs at the facility. She said she also writes poems.
“I play cards — several different kinds, the more the merrier,” she said. “It keeps you thinking better, and that's important. If you don't think any, you lose it. You have to realize when you get older, you better use your brain and think as much as you can.”
She continued: “I had no idea I'd ever live this long, and I don't know how much longer I’m going to live, either, because I’m still feeling good. I'm still doing something. It may not be a big thing for somebody, but it’s good enough for me.”
In her brief chat with Mutz, Thompson said she strives to find the positive in every situation. She later said her sunny outlook derives from her religious faith and her family.
“To enjoy and love and be with them — that’s just fantastic,” she said. “And then we all hope to be to heaven together.”
Lori Friend, Thompson’s youngest daughter, sat at the family table, watching her mother tirelessly interact with well-wishers. Friend said her mother was in her 50s when she was attending elementary school, and was more active in school activities than most younger parents.
Thompson drew renown for her chicken and dumplings, which she regularly prepared for meetings of the Elks Club in Plant City, her daughter said.
“This is so special and just a thrill for all of us,” Friend said of the birthday gathering. “She’s such a blessing. “One of the qualities about her that really I admire probably the most is her adaptability. To live that long and see that much change, she just knows how to adapt and make the best out of every situation. That’s one of the best things she’s ever taught us.”
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland woman shows star power at 105th birthday party
