Velma Thompson received a birthday cake the size of a stovetop. She welcomed a visit from the mayor.
Thompson, the unofficial ambassador of Lake Morton Senior Living, reacted to a surprise 105th birthday party Tuesday afternoon with enthusiastic appreciation, clearly enjoying the attention from the staff, fellow residents, and family members as nearly 100 people gathered in the activity room.
“I can’t tell you what it means,” Thompson told the audience. “It’s too much for me to explain. It’s a great day.”
Thompson lives alone in an assisted-living wing on the sixth floor, but Tilson said she doesn’t require much assistance. The centenarian used a wheelchair Wednesday but is still able to stand and use a walker, she said.
Thompson made her entrance Wednesday afternoon, pushed in her wheelchair by her son-in-law, Billy Friend.
She waved her hands energetically as she rolled into the room, her eyes widening as she glimpsed the cake that read “Happy 105th Birthday, Ms. Velma,” adorned with purple and yellow flowers.
Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz joined Thompson at the front of the room as about 50 residents occupied chairs facing them. Several of Thompson’s family members sat at a table beside her, with additional observers behind them.
Mutz read a letter to Thompson before handing her a copy. Saying he spoke for the Lakeland City Commission, Mutz read, “Velma, we are thinking of you on this extraordinary day and send warm wishes for continued happiness in the year ahead.”
Mutz said he had been warned not to play cards against Thompson. The birthday lady then took a wireless microphone from the mayor and showed her ability to work a room.
Thompson, a graduate of the defunct Turkey Creek High School, has outlived three husbands and wears all three wedding rings. Her third spouse, Edward Thompson died in 2015 at age 98.
“My last husband was my high school sweetheart, but I wouldn’t marry him (then) because I didn’t want to move somewhere else,” she said during a brief interview. “But I ended up marrying him 61 years later.”
Thompson descends from the Hamilton and Morgan families, the latter for whom Morgan Creek in southwest Lakeland is named. Her family once owned the land that now holds Lakeland Linder International Airport, Friend said.
The matriarch said she has three daughters and one son, six grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.