Margate’s Fran Harris celebrated her 104th Birthday, Wednesday, April 28, 2020.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
MARGATE – Fran Harris’ 104th birthday will be a memorable one, she said Wednesday afternoon after her friends in Margate presented her with a newly minted tradition. Family members, friends from the Martin Bloom Senior Pavilion and the Margate City Fire Department threw her a birthday parade outside her Essex Avenue home, complete with fire apparatus, balloons and colorful signs.
Her daughter Theresa managed to keep the parade a secret, but shortly before 11 a.m., she brought her mother to the sidewalk for a special treat that will be a precious memory for years to come.
“I’ll be here again next year,” Fran Harris said.
“She enjoyed it so much and she got a kick out of all the honking horns and sirens from the fire trucks,” Theresa said. “She enjoyed seeing all the people come by waving signs that said Happy Birthday.”
Fran most enjoyed seeing the senior bus that usually picks her up to take her to the Bloom Pavilion to exercise several times a week. Fran’s usually active social life has been sidelined as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Senior activities coordinator Marianne Christian descended the bus steps to deliver flowers and a birthday cake.
Fire Chief Dan Adams presented her with a fire department T-shirt and hat.
Theresa said they spent the afternoon reading all the greeting cards, some of them handmade.
“There had to be at least 200 of them,” Theresa said. “It was a phenomenal day and she wants to thank everyone who participated for making her 104th birthday so special.”
Copyright Mediawize, LLC 2020
