'I've been so lucky': Ormond Beach World War II vet celebrates 100 years

ORMOND BEACH — Balloons, a buffet and an enormous birthday cake set the scene, but the guest of honor somehow managed to slip into his own surprise party without fanfare.

That low-key entrance didn’t last for long, as World War II veteran Ed Vrona's 100th birthday was celebrated in style on Wednesday in the clubhouse at Aberdeen At Ormond mobile home community.

“We’re all here to honor you and wish you a most wonderful 100th birthday,” said Cindy Miller, Aberdeen’s social director, before the crowd of nearly 100 residents launched into “Happy Birthday.” “We just think you are absolutely amazing.”

Although he didn’t make a grand entrance, Vrona said he was “totally, totally surprised” by the gathering, which included a serenade from the Singing Vets quintet from Emory L. Bennett Memorial Veterans Nursing Home, the presentation of a shadow box award honoring his war service and accordion dinner music.

Vrona told the crowd that he had been coaxed to visit the clubhouse by the prospect of “leftover salad bar,” a menu item offered at a discount, he joked. He walked to the clubhouse from his home, which is part of his routine, his friends said.

At 100, Vrona remains active, friends say, powered by curiosity, intellect and energy that others envy. His actual birthday is July 4, but since he will be out of town then, his friends couldn't wait.

“He walks with a walker now, but that’s about only thing wrong with him,” said Jean Kessel, a friend whose husband, Frank, provided the accordion tunes. “Ed has more brains that I do and I’m only 75. He’s just phenomenal.”

Kessel first met the birthday boy while walking her dog, who always insisted on running across Vrona’s driveway to visit with him as he lounged in his carport, she said.

Before Vrona’s wife died nearly five years ago, the two couples would take day trips to pick oranges or visit interesting destinations. Now, he sometimes accompanies them on shopping trips or other errands, where his sharp mind often comes in handy in practical ways.

“We’ll come out from shopping and he’ll say, ‘This is where the car is. We’re going down this aisle for the car,’” Kessel said. “I’m trying to find my car, getting ready to honk the horn to find it and he’s already telling me where to go. “

Aberdeen residents also raved about Vrona’s craft skills, reflected in a house adorned with beautiful wooden angels, wooden fish swimming happily on living room walls and an intricate dollhouse that Vrona built based on the designs of former family homes.

Another neighbor, Barbara Tway, 66, shares Vrona’s interest in woodworking.

“I do some amateur wood working and yard art,” Tway said. “He found out I did, so he came down, knocked on my door and started talking to me. He has made a lot of beautiful things. That dollhouse is about three feet high and three feet wide. It’s full of furniture that he made and it’s beautiful.”

In World War II, Vrona was a technical sergeant in the Army Air Corps, where he used his innate mechanical skills to keep Allied planes in the air to battle Japanese forces in New Guinea.

READ: Veterans Day 2017: Honoring those who serve

Realizing that spark plugs were frequently broken off in engine cylinders when mechanics tried to replace faulty parts, Vrona improvised a hand-held gadget to insert into the cylinder shaft and break loose the frozen threads.

“He invented this tool on a lathe, built the whole thing from scratch to remove the pieces of spark plug without damaging the cylinder,” said Alvin Levine, 76, another friend who marvels at Vrona’s role in the war and his vivid recollections of that experience and others.

“His mind is so terrifically bright and he remembers and does things in a way that surprises you,” said Levine, who doesn’t chat with his friend nearly as often as he’d like. “I go to the house and he’s almost never there. He’s always out gallivanting around. He’s very popular here.”

That was evident at Wednesday’s soiree, which moved the guest of honor to tears when the chorus sang songs that included “The White Cliffs of Dover” and “God Bless America.”

“I’ve been so lucky in my life,” Vrona said. “Just look around. I’m the luckiest guy I know. It must be God’s blessing, because I couldn’t have done anything to deserve this.”

His friends would tell you that Ed Vrona also has a lot to do with it.