Millie McWilliams celebrated her 100th birthday on Dec. 10 with a party at Lehigh Acres Place.
Residents and friends came out to wish the 35-year Lehigh Acres resident happy birthday and join in on some food, cake, refreshments and entertainment.
McWilliams’s family threw a separate party on Dec. 11, where her two sons John and Terry McWilliams joined her for a private celebration.
According to son John, who has owned and operated a real estate business in Lehigh Acres for more than 40 years, Millie is a devoted mother who loves children.
“My mom has lived in Lehigh for 35 years. She has three sons, a granddaughter and great grandchildren. My brother Dennis is deceased, but my brother Terry flew in to be with our mother for the party,” McWilliams said. “Her whole life revolved around us kids. Raising her kids and being at every one of our sporting events. Best mom in the world.”
Millie was originally born in Elberton, Georgia, and moved to Detroit when she was 18 years old. That’s where she met her husband, Glen McWilliams, and raised their three children.
“My mom and dad met on a blind date. They were married for 58 years. She just loved kids so much. Besides being a great mom to me and my brothers, she was a nanny when she was young. In fact, the young girl that she used to take care of still stays in touch with her and flys in to see her,” McWilliams said.
To commemorate this special birthday, son John McWilliams created a Smucker’s Jar with Millie’s picture on the front and surprised her with it.
“I always use to tell her that when she turned 100 she was going to be announced on the Today Show by Williard Scott, who use to offer birthday greetings to viewers marking milestone birthdays with a Smucker’s jar with their name, age and photo on the front, so I decided to create one for her to commemorate this special day,” McWilliams said.