100-Year-Old Woman Celebrates First Birthday Party

A milestone birthday celebration was extra special for one North Texas woman and her family.

Mrs. Beulah French Furlow used her walker to maneuver through a crowd of seated people to her birthday party at Heritage Village Residences in Hurst.

As she made her way to her table she could be heard saying, "Here comes an old woman," and, "Make way for a fat lady!"

The benchmark in age that she's hit is impressive.

"Which birthday are you celebrating today?" asked NBC 5's Kristin Dickerson.

"One hundred," Furlow said with distinction.

Furlow and her family also said this event was Furlow's first birthday party, ever.

Asked how that could be possible, Furlow said, with a chuckle, "Honey, if you were raised like me, they had no money to have a birthday party, no cake, no presents."

Furlow was raised during the Great Depression.

"What was life like when you were little?" asked Dickerson.

"Terrible," Furlow said, with laughter. "But I didn't know it. We were patriotic."

Her family was also grateful. Both characteristics were taught to them by their father after their mother passed away when Furlow was just 5 years old.

"We didn't sit around and gripe about what we didn't have," Furlow said. "We were taught to be thankful for what you do have."

As an adult, she married Rex.

"He was just kind and a gentleman," Furlow said.

Together, they welcomed their daughter, Deanna.

"She was born on my birthday," Furlow said.

So, their joint birthdays were always dedicated to celebrating Deanna.

"Oh, she had everything," Furlow said.

Now, after 99 years of not having a birthday party, Furlow is celebrating her first one at 100 years old.

However, her age is still not something she cares much about. Instead, Furlow said, "I think about good things, I pray a lot and I try to do something good for people."