(A very special 90th birthday celebration took place on August 6th at the Stittsville Legion for Fran Cathro with her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and close friends. Front and centre is Fran surrounded by her daughters – Elaine Carroll, Sharon McDaniel, Nancy Therrien, and her sons – Glenn and Gary Carroll. Her son Danny Carroll was unable to attend. Photos: provided by the Carroll family.)
The family knew the date was quickly approaching, but how could they catch their Mom off guard to celebrate her very special day? After all Fran Cathro is a typical Mom and likes to be involved in planning family events. So what could be done – why plan the surprise birthday party for an earlier date of course so she would not suspect a thing. And that is just what Nancy Therrien and her five siblings did.
It had been a long few months for Fran leading up to her 90th Birthday party. When the party planning had begun, her health was fine, but she suddenly felt unwell and found herself admitted to hospital for almost two months. Upon her return home, three weeks before the surprise party, Fran was weak, her mobility questionable and appetite down. It was a daunting situation for both her and the family.
Worried that the situation could worsen, Nancy and her sister, Elaine, decided that they had better tell their Mom about the surprise birthday party with the hope that it would give their Mom a goal to work towards. It was just the medicine that Fran needed!
The special day, August 6th, had arrived. The Stittsville Legion hall, beautifully decorated by daughter Elaine, was filled with laughter, the cake in a place of honour, along with Donnie Leafloor (The Rainman) and his singing partner Pat ready to serenade the birthday girl. Nancy said, “Did they ever entertain us! They were so good and so funny they made our night. The entire party went off without a hitch. It was a fantastic party! The legion was the perfect venue“.
Nancy added, “my Mom had six kids and except for my brother Danny, who wasn’t feeling well, we were all there. We also had my mom’s grandkids and great-grandkids there as well. There were many family members who live out of the country and in other parts of Canada who weren’t able to attend but sent their wishes. It was just a great evening of celebration with Mom and her kids – Elaine, Glenn, Sharon and Gary“.
Fran’s 90th birthday is actually on September 17th, so it is not too late to send along birthday greetings.
This four-foot birthday card for Fran was created by her daughter Nancy.
I had the pleasure of dealing with the StittsVille Legion for the 2nd time and would not hesitate to have another event there. Special thanks to Anne Forbes who made everything go smoothly for my mother’s 90th birthday party.