Ed Carter celebrates 102nd birthday
When Ed Carter was born, if you made $1,500 a year, you were doing great. Horses and buggies were still commonplace, and about 25 percent of houses had electricity.
Ed, a resident of The Moorings at Lewes since 2008, was honored with a surprise party Feb. 25 to celebrate his 102nd birthday. Ironically, in 1919, the country was in the middle of the Spanish flu epidemic, and it was not unusual to see people wearing masks, just like those at his party did more than a century later.
Resident Carol Bishop, who offered at look at his life, said life expectancy in 1919 for males was 38 years. “You've lived three lifetimes, and we are all happy to have been able to enjoy some of that time with you,” she said.
Ed, who was born Jan. 26, 1919, in Wilmington, served in the U.S. Army where he was assigned to the Panama Canal, which opened in 1914. Before getting his assignment, Carter, a championship diver, was training at a pool where his met his wife, Kelly Ann. The couple had three children.
After leaving the service, Ed joined J.A. Montgomery Insurance where he worked his entire adult life, eventually opening a downstate office and moving to the area in the 1970s.
One of the highlights of his long life was a family trip to Disneyland. Through his work, he won an all-expenses-paid family trip to the park, and the family's driver turned out to be Walt Disney himself.
The Moorings auditorium was turned into birthday-party central for Ed, who was all smiles throughout the event. He was joined by several friends and staff from the Moorings as well as dozens more via Zoom.
One of the highlights of the event was the presentation of a card made by resident Bill Dunn and signed by dozens of other residents. He received many other cards and gifts, including a bottle of Dewar's Scotch Whisky, which is his favorite drink.
