Mary Lett celebrated her 90th birthday Monday while looking out of her fourth floor at Lutheran Home in Arlington Heights to watch her family staging a drive-by parade party in her honor.
Photo Courtesy of Laurie Nichols and Lutheran Home
Mary Lett's family couldn't be there in person to celebrate her 90th birthday, so they did the next best thing - a drive-by birthday parade.
A caravan of 17 cars outfitted with birthday signs and well-wishes for caregivers drove past the Lutheran Home in Arlington Heights where Lett, formerly of Mount Prospect, is a resident on the fourth floor.
Having a drive-by birthday party parade "puts life into a new perspective," said Laurie Nichols of Mount Prospect, one of Lett's daughters.
The celebration was the brainchild of Nichol's sister, Sharon Paulson of Prospect Heights, who put it together in a week and a half. Fifteen grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren along with seven siblings and spouses drove by the Lutheran Home, waving their hands and signs.
Nichols said it has been a month since she has seen her mom - a wedding in February before the coronavirus outbreak - so she loved the group effort behind the memorable 90th birthday present.
"We feel heartbroken that we couldn't be with her, holding her hand, but she knows we were there," Nichols said.
Staff members at the Lutheran Home in Arlington Heights and Mary Lett wave at family members who staged a drive-by party to help Lett celebrate her 90th birthday.
Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
Laurie Nichols of Mount Prospect holds a birthday sign for her mom, Mary Lett, who celebrated her 90th birthday Monday at the Lutheran Home in Arlington Heights, where she is a resident.
Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
Sophie Obrill, 11, of Arlington Heights holds a birthday sign for her great-grandmother, Mary Lett, who turned 90 Monday. Family members held a drive-by birthday party parade to celebrate the milestone.
Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
A family member holds a birthday sign for Mary Lett, who turned 90 Monday, as they wave to her on the fourth floor of the Lutheran Home in Arlington Heights.
Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
Mary Lett celebrated her 90th birthday Monday while looking out of her fourth floor at Lutheran Home in Arlington Heights to watch her family staging a drive-by parade party in her honor.
Photo Courtesy of Laurie Nichols and Lutheran Home