When asked what the worst thing about being 106 years old is, Francis McCarty of Longmont simply groaned. She didn’t want to explain how hard it’s been living on planet Earth for over a century. Not at the end of a socially distanced parade in her honor that lasted more than an hour on Saturday.
“I feel wonderful,” McCarty said as she sat inside a big plastic bubble protecting her from the cold and potential viruses. “I’ve seen more people, I haven’t seen in a long long time and it’s been great.”
McCarty’s four children, Bob, Dave, and John McCarty and Francie Orvis, organized the event with help from a community of old and new friends and family. Many of McCarty’s seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren were there, bearing banners and gifts on a street she has called home for more than 70 years. She turns 106 today.
“It’s been great,” her daughter Orvis said. “She just keeps active and we’ve travelled all around the world. She’s in a book club, study club and bridge club. Up until the corona.”
The parade began with several Longmont police officers cruising by to wish McCarty a happy birthday and merry Christmas. They were followed by car after car filled with the familiar faces. Grandchildren from Denver. Friends from Colorado Springs. Many stopped to talk with her for a moment as her son, John, held a microphone on a stick connected to speakers inside her heated sphere.
Not long after two Model-T’s from 1931 drove by, a shiny modern-day bus pulled up. More than 20 children, many of them orphans from overseas, assembled in rows to sing some Christmas carols and other pieces. The talented His Little Feet International Children’s Choir showcases the humanitarian efforts of the organization based in Windsor. Both McCarty and other members of her family have been heavily involved in the charity’s work for years.
McCarty spent time in an orphanage as a child. She was born and raised in Oregon but after her mother died, her father had to leave her in the care of others so he could continue to work at a steel mill.
“I can’t believe all the people that have shown up,” said Stephanie Roff, who has been a caregiver for McCarty for the past four years. “It truly is amazing and Fran is loving every minute of it. It is awesome to see Longmont coming together.”
Although she has daily caregivers visiting her home, McCarty has lived alone since her husband died more than 20 years ago. She does have two of her children living right next door however, all on the same piece of land that has been a part of the family for generations.
“A lot of it is genetics,” Roff said. “A lot of it is the way she eats and takes care of herself. She was very active and I think that’s very important for someone that age. Once the pandemic is over, I think she’ll be active again.”
Up until this year McCarty was still traveling around the world. She has been to Africa, India and Russia in recent years. When she visited Mexico this past year, she and a friend were delayed at an airport for some time. A computer didn’t recognize her age and she had been classified as an unaccompanied minor.
The fire department and more vehicles rolled through as McCarty soaked it all in.
“My years have been beautiful,” McCarty said. “I’ve had good health, and a wonderful family that means so much to me.”
