103-year-old veteran celebrates her birthday with beer and crab cakes

By William On Jan 19, 2023

A war veteran showed she hasn’t lost any of her fighting spirit by celebrating her 103rd birthday with crab cakes and beer.

Mary Barnes, a mother of two who lives at The Virginian senior community in Fairfax, Virginia, celebrated her birthday in style on January 15, saying “nothing tastes better at a party” than the fishy platter and a Pinta.

Enrolling in the Navy in 1942 and stationed on Ford Island in Hawaii, Mary then traveled back to Virginia before moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she met her husband Fred. The couple had two children, Martha, 66, and Mark, 73.

The boisterous 103-year-old had a hard time when Fred died on Valentine’s Day in 2011, but she looks for the good in life and jokes that God is watching over her so she can keep her kids out of trouble.

Mary Barnes, a mother of two, who lives at The Virginian senior community in Fairfax, Virginia, turned 103 in style on January 15.

Born Mary Feldman in Danville, Virginia, in 1920, Mary has won everyone at her nursing home with her passion for life and positivity.

But as her daughter Martha revealed to the washington postThe beginning of the veteran’s life was not easy.

WHAT IS APPENDICITIS?

Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix, a two to four inch long organ connected to the large intestine.

Appendicitis can cause severe pain and it is important to treat it quickly in case the appendix ruptures, which can cause a life-threatening illness.

In most cases, surgeons will remove the appendix in an appendectomy; Scientists aren’t sure why people need an appendix, but removing it doesn’t harm people.

The causes of appendicitis are not clear, but it is believed to be caused by something blocking the entrance to the organ.

Symptoms include pain in the stomach that then moves to the lower right side and becomes severe.

Pressing on this area, coughing, or walking can make the pain worse, and other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and fever.

Source: NHS

“My mom has always told me that the secret to her longevity is that God wants her around to make sure she keeps me and my brother out of trouble,” Martha said.

Mary grew up during the Great Depression and had to care for her mother, who was severely burned in a coal-fired furnace accident. Meanwhile, her father died of appendicitis in 1930 when she was 10 years old.

Mary was one of three siblings, and her family, which had no benefits or any form of government assistance, managed to earn a meager income by running a milk pasteurization business.

Although the family did not have much, they felt more fortunate than others, and Mary remembered that her grandmother made cookies to give to hungry people every morning.

At age 22, Mary enlisted in the Navy and was assigned to the accounting department on Ford Island in Hawaii, one year after Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese Army.

Mary explained that she was one of the first WAVES (Women Accepted for Emergency Volunteer Service), a faction introduced by FDR after he signed the Women’s Navy Reserve Act in July of that year.

During her time in the Navy, Mary had to deal with the sexist attitude of the military who worked with her in the military, which was common at the time.

His daughter Martha revealed how a married man would make advances on Mary and her co-workers, and how a woman working in accounting would check the men’s files to see if they were married based on whether they received marriage reductions on their paychecks. payment.

When a colleague told Mary that she only joined the Army to find a husband, she smartly replied that he was right, but she wouldn’t marry him.

After 4 1/2 years, including 3 1/2 years spent in Hawaii, Mary finally met her husband Fred.

The World War II veteran marked the historic birthday with chocolate cake, crab cakes and beer, pictured

At the time, Fred was working at a restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he had just found an accounting job through a friend, and fell in love with Mary as soon as he saw her.

The couple dated and eventually moved to Danville and got married there. Fred joined the Department of Defense, while Mary worked as a secretary for Fairfax County Public Schools.

Martha admitted that the family sometimes struggled financially, but Mary taught her children to enjoy life’s simpler pleasures and passed on her love of the outdoors.

Her son Mark, who is a retired attorney living in San Francisco, said he finds it hard to believe his mother is 103, adding that she still has good years ahead of her.

Her daughter Martha said Mary’s life wasn’t always easy, but she praised her mother, a Navy veteran, for being brave.

Mary said she stays alert by maintaining a busy social life at The Virginian, enjoying a glass of wine or beer here and there.

While her husband’s death in 2011 was a rough patch, Mary, who has no grandchildren, explained that she has since learned to enjoy her days again and looks for the positive in life.

Her friends at the Virginian and Martha threw her weekend birthday party, and Mary confessed that she hopes to turn 104 next year.