Birthday celebration held for New Jersey woman who turned 108 on MLK Day: ‘It’s a blessing’
By Toni Yates
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MADISON, New Jersey (WABC) — A special birthday bash was held for a woman from New Jersey who turned 108 years old on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, an occasion she calls a “blessing.”
Inez Elliot turned 108 in Madison, New Jersey on Monday, with her extended family, church members, members of Star of Bethlehem and staff at Pine Acres Healthcare surrounding her with love and memories.
“Aunt Rose was always smiling… quiet, she was really direct with what she said. She held no prisoners,” said Elliot’s niece Rosalind Johnson.
“If we didn’t have enough food, she and my brother would always come and bring us food for my children. I had two sets of twins,” said Elliot’s sister-in-law Pearline Whitney.
Elliot is such a hit, she got VIP visits from multiple mayors, including Madison Mayor Bob Conley and East Orange Mayor Ted Green, in addition to proclamations.
“I actually came here to do the electric slide with her,” Mayor Green said.
“Miss Rose,” as she’s known, was born in Summit in 1917.
She married and had no children of her own, but she helped care for tons of nieces and nephews over the decades. Her life was her family, church and reading, which she still does to this day.
Enjoying bingo with friends on her birthdays have been grand occasions. She says she just wants everyone to keep coming.
And everyone promised to return next year for party No. 109.
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