RIVER ROUGE, Mich. – Longtime River Rouge resident Claudia Williams had plenty of company Wednesday as she celebrated her 109th birthday.
The retired school teacher remains in her own home, surrounded by family who adore and respect her contributions to their lives.
“She my grandmama, the one who raised me, taught me everything I know and put up with some of my shenanigans,” said grandson Russell Williams.
Granddaughter Vicki Dobbins was responsible for the parade of emergency vehicles that rode by to mark the occasion.
“We’re paying homage to a person who’s given us so much,” said Dobbins, who added that her grandmother, a retired school teacher, has always been eager and willing to share whatever she’s learned in life with others.
“I liked teaching kids, especially history and geography,” said Ms. Williams, who was delighted to share how she mastered making a pineapple upside-down cake in a frying pan, a recipe she learned from a friend. “It was just like you were somewhere traveling, you could write about it, talk about it. We learn from each other things that you would never know from a book, you would know from talking with each other.”
Williams wants people to know that even the difficult parts of life are important and that they were a big part of her understanding of the value of life.
“I found out what I had,” Williams said. “Nobody could take it away from me; I will always have it regardless of how old I got or how much I forget. I will still have that knowledge that’s something you can’t buy.”
“It’s a very special day in River Rogue,” River Rogue Mayor William Campbell stopped by along with firefighters and police. The mayor says he’s known Ms. Claudia his whole life and remembers going by to see her elaborate Christmas decorations as a child.
Grandson Russell says he never would’ve thought that Ms. Claudia would live to be 109, her family and everyone else who knows her were just happy to celebrate the day with her.