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Smith admired her cake but didn't eat any of it, preferring peppermint hard candies.
Anna Smith watches as Julia Stroman arranges Smith's birthday cake in the dining room of Beverly Healthcare.
'She could be the poster child for Marlboro,' Chris Manuel jokes as he and Julia Stroman watch Anna Smith blow out the candles. |
Anna Smith turned 107 July 23, but she wasn't interested in celebrating.
Outside in the smoking courtyard at Beverly Healthcare, Smith was more interested in her cigarette than in telling her life story to a reporter.
When it came time to wheel into the dining room for her party, Smith threatened to spank anyone responsible for the gala.
"I'm going to turn you over my knee," she said to Chris Manuel, Beverly's activities director.
"And I'm going to spank you, too," Smith added, pointing at her longtime friend, Julia Stroman.
Then she pointed to the reporter, "And she needs a spanking."
Yesterday, a week after the party, Manuel laughed, "I'm still getting beatings from that party. She threatens that every year."
Stroman said Smith always protests the parties. At her 105th birthday bash, Smith tried to wheel herself out of the room. Stroman put a stop to that right away.
"Anna always gets a party," Julia said.
All the residents at Beverly are invited to Smith's parties. They don party hats and eat cake and ice cream, but this year, Smith didn't. She reluctantly wore a Happy Birthday tiara, but she let her ice cream melt while she sucked on peppermint candies.
The Spotsylvania County nursing home has monthly birthday parties, but holds a special one for anyone who's 100 or older.
So far, Smith is the only centenarian at Beverly, but Manuel said another resident will turn 100 later this year.
He said in an informal survey of area nursing homes, Smith seems to be the oldest resident.
Last year, she was the second oldest. Her cousin, who lived at Carriage Hill nursing home, was the oldest resident until she died, Manuel said. He thinks "Miss Ella" was 109 or 110 years old.
Smith was born in 1899, just before the 20th century. But she she didn't want to reminisce about all of the changes she's seen. She was too busy protesting her party.
But Stroman shared some of Smith's story. She was born and raised in Philadelphia. Smith's father was a Baptist minister and Smith sang in the choir.
Manuel said that Smith has outlived most of her family. A 2001 story in The Free Lance-Star said that Smith moved to Port Royal to live with a childhood friend. She also lived in Dogwood Retirement Center in Stafford before moving to Beverly.
Stroman shared another secret: that Smith's party protests aren't real.
"She just does that for fun," Stroman said.
To reach AMY FLOWERS UMBLE:
Email: aumble@freelancestar.com
