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An Oklahoma woman simply turned 100 however has solely celebrated 25 actual birthdays, as she was born on Leap Day in 1924.
“It’s very unusual,” Mary Lea Forsythe, 100, of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, informed Fox News Digital.
For that purpose, her household and associates flew in from everywhere in the nation to rejoice the special day.
About 100 folks attended her celebration, held on the Sand Springs Methodist Church.
“It was just fabulous,” Forsythe stated. “Everyone was so happy to be there, and I was happy to be there. People didn’t care if they were there to celebrate my 25th birthday or 100th. I was really grateful.”
Mary Lea Forsythe, entrance, celebrated her a centesimal birthday on the Sand Springs Methodist Church in Oklahoma with household and associates. Forsythe has solely celebrated 25 actual birthdays since she was born on Leap Day. (Kerry Nau)
Leap years occur when an additional day is added to the tip of February, giving that 12 months three hundred and sixty six days, as a substitute of the usual 365.
It’s a way of regulating the Gregorian calendar, so the seasons don’t shift — inflicting issues for farmers and their crops, for one.
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For folks born on that day, it means selecting one other day to rejoice a birthday.
Forsythe stated when she was younger, she often selected considered one of her three sisters’ birthdays.
Mary Lea Forsythe proven in {a photograph} at age 4. She was born on Feb. 29, 1924. (Kerry Nau)
As the years went on, she selected her late husband’s birthday.
“He was born on the 6th of March,” she stated. “So, just a few days later. One year, we went to a restaurant that had a free breakfast [for people’s] birthday. We walked in and I asked if they still had the birthday special. He said, ‘Yes, whose birthday is it?’ I said, ‘Ours. My birthday is on February 29.’”
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About 5 million folks worldwide have a Leap Day birthday — out of about 8 billion folks on the planet, the Associated Press reported.
“People didn’t care if they were there to celebrate my 25th birthday or 100th. I was really grateful,” Forsythe stated. (Kerry Nau)
Last week the Centenarians of Oklahoma acknowledged Forsythe and awarded a proclamation to her from town on her a centesimal birthday.
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Forsythe stated she was scheduled to talk to her native Daughters of the American Revolution chapter on her birthday, however there was a shock in retailer.
Forsythe was met by a big group of family members and neighborhood members who gathered to rejoice her a centesimal birthday on Leap Day, Feb. 29, 2024. (Kerry Nau)
“When I walked in, flashes were going off and they were taking my pictures and all the seats were filled and people were standing along the wall,” she stated.
“There was punch and cake. I walked to the podium without a cane and talked for about half an hour. A reporter who came from The Leader, which is our local paper, interviewed me, and then she sent it to the Tulsa World. Then it went to the wire and now people from every state in the nation want to talk to me.”
Going viral is just not one thing that Forsythe, who has spent her entire life in Sand Springs, is accustomed to — however she’s taking it in stride, she stated.
“I’m getting cards from people I don’t even know,” she stated.
Forsythe stated she leans on her religion, and has written a e-book impressed by her love for Jesus. She’s pictured right here with Ephraim Nau, considered one of her great-grandchildren. (Kerry Nau)
Forsythe grew up in a small neighborhood, positioned simply exterior town of Tulsa.
That’s the place she met her husband, William Wayne Forsythe.
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“Oh, mercy, I was on the high school grounds one day and I heard someone laughing,” she stated.
Kerry Nau, Forsythe’s granddaughter, at left, deliberate Forsythe’s a centesimal birthday celebration and flew in from California for the celebration. (Kerry Nau)
“When I saw him I thought he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. But after that, I couldn’t find him, so I kind of gave up.”
It turned out they have been each within the college’s combined refrain that 12 months — and when Forsythe heard that snort once more, she knew it was him.
“He was sitting behind me, and he was the best bass singer in the state,” she stated.
“So we got acquainted throughout high school, and then he went into the Army during World War II. He was a deep sea diver on detached service to the Navy, and he would go down 200 feet and blow ships out of the harbor in Japan, so our ships could go in,” Forsythe stated.
William Wayne Forsyth, left, and Mary Lea Forsythe, proper, have been married for 69 years earlier than he died in 2011. (Kerry Nau)
Her husband returned from the struggle with a mission to make his neighborhood a greater place, Forsythe stated.
He labored for the City of Sand Springs for 32 years in emergency administration and 20 years as a volunteer firefighter. Meanwhile, she labored in actual property and for 2 native regulation corporations. She additionally sang with a pianist in Tulsa through the years.
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The couple had two youngsters and 5 grandchildren.
Today, Forsythe has 11 great-grandchildren.
The pair have been married for 69 years earlier than William Wayne Forsyth died in 2011.
Mary Lea Forsythe of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, turned 100 on Feb. 29, 2024, however has celebrated solely 25 actual birthdays in her life, attributable to being born on Leap Day. (Kerry Nau)
Faith, Forsythe stated, has been a guiding consider her life.
“I always wanted to sit in the front row of the church,” Forsythe stated.
“I loved the music and when they talked about how Jesus loves you, and He would be helpful to you all your life if you’d give your heart to Him, I said, ‘That’s for me.’ I walked up and knelt at the altar and prayed, and then I went back to my seat. And I’ve never regretted it.”
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She just lately revealed a e-book entitled, “You Are Fantastic,” which was impressed by her love of Jesus and the Bible, she stated.
“I was reading the Bible and praying one night and it came to 2 a.m., but I thought, ‘I need to go to bed,’” Forsythe stated.
“There’s no reason to throw your life away. That’s one thing that my little booklet ends up on: Pay attention to Jesus and your life will be happy.”
“I lay down and I thought, ‘I might not remember what I’m thinking, so I’m going to get up and write it down. I went back to the desk and I had a pad and a pen and I wrote it a little bit. And then I’d turn the page and write more.”
By 4 a.m., she’d written 40 pages and her daughter, who’s an editor, helped her publish a small e-book that encourages folks to see the nice in themselves.
“You Are Fantastic” is out there for $15 at native retailers in Sand Springs and Tulsa.
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Forsythe stated her e-book has offered out twice.
Besides volunteering with the Daughters of the American Revolution, she’s been concerned with the Republican Women’s Club and the Chamber of Commerce.
Forsythe attributes her lengthy life to good genetics, by no means smoking or ingesting and easily loving life.
Mary Lea Forsythe of Oklahoma celebrated her birthday on her actual birthday, Feb. 29. She turned 100 years outdated on that day, which was Leap Day, and was surrounded by family members. (Kerry Nau)
Her recommendation to younger folks simply beginning out is straightforward: “Read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to learn exactly what Jesus wants you to be like and how he will help you do that,” she stated.
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“There’s no reason to throw your life away. That’s one thing that my little booklet ends up on – pay attention to Jesus and your life will be happy.”
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