Roanoke woman celebrates her 100th birthday

Published 6:57 pm Thursday, February 14, 2019

VALLEY — Rena Yarbrough was beaming with joy as a crowd of well-wishers gathered around her to wish her a happy birthday on Tuesday afternoon.

“This is my special day, and I thank you all for coming,” Yarbrough said. “Everything is as pretty as it can be.”

On Tuesday, Feb. 12, Yarbrough celebrated her 100th birthday at Lakewood Senior Living in Valley. She gets about with the aid of a walker, has a clear mind and loves to socialize with family members and friends. She even broke into a few dance steps when Danny Berry played “The Tennessee Waltz” on piano.

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She sat at a table decorated with yellow roses and had the honor of eating the first piece of yellow and white cake served by Althea and Billy Head. Corey Norrell, R.N., and the Lakewood staff hosted the event. Among those present for Rena’s special day were her son and daughter-in-law, Tim and Mary McDaniel of Roanoke.

Mrs. Yarbrough was born Feb. 12, 1919 in the Abanda community in northeast Chambers County. When she was five years old, her parents, James Winslow and Rena Em Osborne, moved to Roanoke so young Rena could attend school there.

After graduating from Handley High School, Rena went to work at Handley Mills, where she met and married Weyman D. McDaniel in 1940. They were blessed with two sons, Mike and Tim. Weyman died in 1953.

Rena remarried in 1967 to Pryce Yarbrough of Orlando, Florida, who passed away in 2002.