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300 years combined and still going strong

By NOVA BEALL
Published February 7, 2007

Three residents of Harbour Wood Nursing Center in Clearwater reached the centenarian mark recently.

Dorothy Washburn Silvernail turned 100 on Jan. 10. She was born in New York City in 1907 and graduated from high school in Salem, Mass. She had a sister, Ruth, and a brother, Frank.

She married Merton Silvernail in 1934, and the couple had two sons, Douglas and Donald. Dorothy worked as a dental assistant, waiter and homemaker.

Dorothy moved to Florida in 1972, after Merton's death two years earlier, to be close to her siblings. She and her brother moved into Harbour Wood in 2004.

Dorothy has three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Her family, along with Harbour Wood staffers and residents, joined her for a wonderful celebration to mark the momentous event.

Ruth Lester Brandenberry was born Nov. 18, 1906, in Waldron, Mich. She had two sisters, Marjorie and Carma. She worked as a schoolteacher before marrying.

The graduate of Ypsilanti State Teachers College enjoyed Florida so much as a winter resident that she and her husband, Sheldon, became permanent residents in 1950. The couple traveled throughout the United States before he died in 1986.

Ruth has a daughter, Beverly, three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, who joined her at a lavish party Nov. 17 that included Harbour Wood residents and staffers.

Leila A. Weeks France was born Aug. 28, 1906, in Sharon Springs, N.Y. She attended grades 1-8 in a one-room country schoolhouse with her older brother and sister.

She received a teaching degree from New York State University and, coincidentally, taught in a one-room schoolhouse.

She married Warner D. France on June 30, 1926. The couple has three children, Jean, Helen and Alton.

The Frances retired to St. Petersburg in 1969, After Warner's death in 1984, Leila lived in Bayview Gardens before moving to Harbour Wood in 2005.

Leila's three children, eight grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, three stepgrandchildren, three stepgreat-grandchildren, and Harbour Wood residents and staffers celebrated her 100th birthday with a grand reception Aug. 28 at Harbour Wood.

Clearwater aquarium names 2006 volunteer

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium has selected Kevin Burke as the 2006 Volunteer of the Year.

Burke, a resident of Island Estates on Clearwater Beach, began volunteering at the aquarium in February 2006. He volunteers four to five days a week and works with the education department.

Burke is also associated with the National Hurricane Research Center in Miami as a volunteer, measuring beach erosion and water quality at Clearwater Beach. His dedication and knowledge are appreciated by the staff and volunteers of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

For information or an anniversary form, call 727 445-4221. To submit an item to Good for You, write to Nova Beall, St. Petersburg Times, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. Fax forms to (727) 441-4119, or e-mail sbeall@sptimes.com.

[Last modified February 6, 2007, 22:33:49]