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100-year birthdays

By Times Staff Writer
Published August 17, 2005

Mary Bowman Cooper recently celebrated her 100th birthday. She was born Aug. 10, 1905, in Akron, Ind., to Wilder and Grace (Bowman) Bowman. On June 16, 1935, she married Kenneth Cooper. Together they had Dan L. Cooper. Mary taught third and fifth grades for 10 years.

During World War II, she contributed a search dog to the Army.

The Coopers moved to this area in 1961 from Wabash, Ind.

Mary was normally the first one to get up and pack the lunches for the regular fishing trips she took with her two sisters, Kate and Anne. The family holds that the three women would fish all day, then play cards all night. The fishing must have been an exhausting experience, since the story is often told of Mary falling asleep when her sisters thought she was simply considering what card to play next.

Always full of energy, Mary ran Biff Burger in Pinellas Park for about 10 years during the 1960s.

Kenneth died in 1975.

In addition to her son, Mary has four grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. The young children continue to delight Mary. It was only when she began to have great-great-great nephews that she was unable to take them fishing. That is a torch she has passed along to others. She continues to play cards and reads four to six books each week.

Sarah "Sally" Emily Henry celebrated her 100th birthday on Aug. 12, 2005. She was born in Ballymoney, Northern Ireland, to John Moore and Eliza Jane (Speers) Pinkerton.

She immigrated to the United States in 1930, joining her two sisters, Margaret "Peg" and Jean, who had come the previous year. They stayed with their aunt and uncle, William and Margaret Pinkerton, who had been in Pittsburgh since 1898.

Sarah married Samuel Henry in 1934. They settled in New Alexandria, Pa., until they moved to St. Petersburg in 1958. Sarah was a reader and enjoyed playing cards and bingo. She and her husband traveled around the world until Samuel's death in January 1971. She enjoys going out to eat. Her great-nephew, Stephen McKeeman of St. Petersburg, considers her a connoisseur of fine food and joked that she has declared the Steak 'n' Shake hamburger the best, good enough for her nieces now visiting from Ireland.

Feb. 18, 1973, Sarah joined Woodlawn Presbyterian Church and has been an active member since. She was a member of the morning circle and Woodlawn Presbyterian Women and was a regular volunteer to serve and supply refreshments for various church fellowships and special occasions.

We think that living 100 years is worth our taking notice. If you or a family member is about to celebrate a 100th birthday or more, please let us know. Include the following information: the person's full name, date of birth, place of birth, parents' names (including mother's maiden name) if known, name of spouse (if applicable), marriage date, names of children and number of grandchildren (if applicable), length of time the person has lived in this area and a phone number in case we have questions. Also, please include a photo that doesn't need to be returned. We'll publish the information as close to the birthday as possible. Send the information to 100-year Birthdays, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731-1121 or fax to (727) 893-8675.

[Last modified August 17, 2005, 01:09:16]