MIDLAND, Texas — A birthday is always a special occasion.
A birthday that sees the birthday boy turn over a century old, however, is a very unique experience.
It's exactly what Wilbur Harkness celebrated over at Manor Park, as they celebrated his 101st birthday.
Originally from Florida, Harkness moved to the Houston area for work before moving to Midland to stay close to his family.
“He came to Midland back in 1987 - I believe it was - after he retired from Slumberjay," his son Bill Harkness said. "My sister was here with her husband and so his grandchildren were here. That's why he came to Midland.”
At Slumberjay, he worked as an electrical engineer.
His other career was slightly more noteworthy: serving his country flying 44 missions in a B-26 during World War II, netting three Silver Stars.
He served out of a sense of duty and nothing was going to keep him out of service.
“When he was going to sign up for World War II, he didn’t weigh enough," Wilbur's daughter Jan Lary said. "So one of the men told him to go eat a whole bunch of bananas and come back and weigh in again. So that's how he got in.”
After years of service and hard work, Wilbur Harkness can now relax and enjoy a birthday surrounded by friends and family.
He was supposed to have a birthday party last year for hitting 100 years old, but an illness Wilbur Harkness caught put an abrupt end to that.
“He got COVID. It didn't slow him down very much, but they didn't want people to be around him for COVID," Lary said. "So some of the people here went and just stood at his door and sang happy birthday to him last year.”
A healthy and active lifestyle helped him beat COVID-19, which his son credits to Wilbur Harkness' wife for having him live that healthy lifestyle.
“I think he just got put together right. My mother was very disciplined with all the food that he ate," Bill Harkness said. "He was an active person, no alcohol, no cigarettes and things like that."
Fast forward to December 2023 and Wilbur Harkness is still strong, healthy and cracking jokes with his friends and family.
“That’s a pretty long time," Wilbur Harkness said about his age. "That’s a pretty long time.”