Novi resident celebrates 100th birthday

NOVI — On Dec. 1, Veriel (Kay) Wilson was given a party that was truly decades in the making. Friends, family, neighbors, and staff came to Rose’s Senior Living in Novi from near and far to celebrate her 100th birthday.

The party featured a pianist playing popular songs from days gone by, along with cake and ice cream.

At the end of the celebration, Wilson fielded questions from several attendees. Many of them wanted to know how she had managed to make it to 100. Wilson said she really didn’t know the answer to that. One woman suggested that perhaps a certain food that she likes to eat was the key to her longevity, and inquired as to what her favorite food was. 

A good steak was Wilson’s reply.

Although Wilson didn’t have a definitive answer, her son, Randy, later told the Novi Note that he believes she has reached 100 years because she keeps herself busy and is in constant communication with others.

“Oh, yeah. I’m a good talker. He knows that,” she said with a chuckle. “I like to talk, and I like to talk to people.”

“Yeah, it’s great. I call her every week, and I don’t have to say a word,” joked her longtime friend and former neighbor Tom Ratemaker, of West Olive, who came with his wife, Cindy.

“Yeah, well, you don’t really have much to say, either. I usually have more things to say,” Wilson laughed.

“I would say that she does make it easy to keep in touch,” said her daughter-in-law Beverly Wison.

Wilson grew up in Detroit and met her husband of nearly 78 years, Don, while attending Wayne University (later renamed Wayne State University), where she studied education. They married and raised a family in Farmington Hills and eventually moved to the assisted living facility in Novi.

“I don’t think there is any secret (to marriage). I just did what I was told, I guess,” Wilson said.

Randy Wilson and his wife Beverly came to the celebration from Princeton, New Jersey. He said he has admired the way his mother has always been there for her family. He reflected on how his mom had taken care of his brother, who was mentally disabled, until he passed away and said she has always been there for him, as well as his children.

“She has always been there for her family, and of course the relationship between her and her husband was a shining example to me of what a relationship should be like,” he said. 

She said the events that really impacted her life were the death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the day the war (World War II) ended, as she can still recall both days in detail.

On a personal level, she said that the introduction of computers and other electronic devices presented a big change for her.

“I think computers was the biggest change. I really enjoyed getting a computer and learning how to run it as well as I could,” said Wilson. 

She said that the availability of commercial air travel was also a big change. She said she enjoyed traveling via plane when she was younger, but has no desire to fly today.

“There’s too many things going on in those planes that I think are ridiculous,” she said. 

Wilson lived in Iran during the summer of 1966, while her husband, Don, was on a government assignment there helping the country to set up electricity. 

“That was the most exotic (thing she has done), and knowledgeable too. I learned a lot about the world while we were over there,” Wilson said.

Wilson said she would advise others to maintain a regular exercise routine, watch what you eat, but most importantly, to keep doing “interesting things.”  

She said hobbies are important and keep you going. She said she has had several over the years. Wilson said she was really into genealogy for a while. She loved to paint and make ceramics and was very active in those until her eyesight started to fail. She also played the bassoon for many years in an orchestra and band in Farmington Hills.

She and her daughter-in-law joked that the reason she has lived this long is because she used to have to walk a mile carrying her bassoon.

She said the best part of the celebration was just having so many people show up to help her celebrate.