'Remember when' means a lot at 102
By Shannon Sollinger
Delma Ann Holmes was born July 15, 1906, in Swedesboro, N.J.
July 15, 2008, she celebrated her 102nd birthday at Inova Loudoun Nursing and rehabilitation Center in Leesburg with her daughter Andria Gadson and son-in-law Albert Gadson on hand to share the strawberry cake.
Holmes went to public schools in Philadelphia, where she met and married Charles Beverly. She worked for more than 30 years at the Pennsylvania Hospital and retired in 1974.
Holmes moved to Loudoun in 2005 to be close to her daughter and grandchildren. She lived independently until early 2007, when she moved to the Leesburg retirement center.
She tires easily but is alert and up on current events, Andria said.
"She asks us, 'What do you think of Barack Obama,'" Andria said. "She told us, 'Barack is touched by God. He's going to do lots of good.'"