CRESTVIEW — Surrounded by more than 60 family members and friends, Virginia Kemp celebrated her 90th birthday with a Nov. 5 luncheon at the First United Methodist Church’s Crossroads Center.
Beaming in a pink and peach ensemble accented by a white daisy and yellow rose corsage, Kemp shared laughs and reminiscences with her guests, several of whom traveled from out of state for the occasion.
The party was organized by her daughters, Martha Barton, Peggy Blanton, Delma Welch and Elizabeth Weirich, and featured a luncheon buffet with multiple desserts prepared by event organizers and friends.
The crowning touch was a yellow and white birthday cake, which matched the lively event colors and was topped by a frosting illustration of a grand piano in honor of Kemp’s decades of piano playing at the church.
Before guests dug into the food, they enjoyed a “trip down Memory Lane,” as Welch called a multimedia presentation she prepared. The program featured photos from her mother’s life accompanied by music ranging from The Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Gershwins, Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family,” and a poignant tune recorded by Kemp’s late husband, Edmond Kemp.
The couple met while both worked at a south Florida hotel. Soon the Svea native swept his newfound love from her Philadelphia birthplace to Northwest Florida, where she has remained ever since.
Watching photos of her grandsons flashing on the screens, Kemp remarked, “All my girls had boys.”
Kemp, an active member of the Friends of the Crestview Library, attributes her longevity to being involved with her church, her community and her family.
“I have a good family and good friends,” she said. “We have many connections here. They’re my daughters, my friends, my church friends and my library friends.”
“She’s amazing,” GFWC Crestview Woman’s Club member Jeanne Gutenmann said. “She just as sweet as ever. She gets up there (at church) at 90 years old and still plays the piano.”
“Your being here means our mama has touched your lives in some special way,” Welch told the guests.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: ‘Good family and good friends’