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It’s not every day that you turn 100, let alone get a fire engine parade and key to the city in the process.
But on Thursday afternoon at Wellbrooke of Kokomo, that’s exactly what happened for Kokomo resident Vincent “Woody” Woodward.
In all, Woodward spent 25 years as a member of the Kokomo Fire Department, ending his tenure as fire chief from 1969-1972. He delivered flowers for Banner Flowers and was a top salesman for Martin Brothers, as well, at different points in his life.
But you don’t have to personally know Woodward to understand the impact he’s made on others around him.
It was pretty evident just by looking through the crowd of people that gathered outside Wellbrooke on Thursday to celebrate his surprise birthday party alongside him.
Due to COVID-19 concerns, Woodward and his children were contained behind one of the facility’s windows, while serenades of “Happy Birthday” and congratulatory wishes rained down on him from a microphone a few feet away.
One by one, KFD firefighters spanning the generations stepped to that microphone and offered Woodward words of encouragement and gratitude, with Woodward quietly accepting each word with a simple “thank you” and a smile.
“This is just quite an honor,” Bill Carter, president of the Retired Police and Firefighters Association, said after extending his own birthday wishes to Woodward.
Carter helped organize Thursday’s celebration and has been a good friend to Woodward for more than 50 years.
“This man is a wonderful man and has contributed so much to this community,” Carter added. “… He’s a special friend, and we’re so proud of everybody for coming out today.”
And though Thursday’s celebration was the result of several months of planning, Woodward’s daughter Jill (Woodward) Moss said it’s one that her father won’t soon forget.
“Just to know that my dad is loved and respected and having the fire department there [to celebrate], it’s more than he could have dreamed of and I could have dreamed of for him,” she said. “It fills my heart with so much love for everyone and joy for my dad. This means so much to him. … This day will be so special to him in his memories.”
Turning 100 was a benchmark milestone for Woodward, Moss added, saying that her father’s health has been failing as of late, and that’s why celebrations like Thursday’s are precious time spent together.
It’s a sentiment also shared by Moss’ brother, Jack Woodward, who said that the older he gets, the more he understands the need to soak in every moment with his father.
“It’s interesting how things change as your parents grow into their senior years,” Jack said. “There’s a role reversal. And now my sister and I are the primary caregivers. So this day is an opportunity to celebrate not just a 100th birthday but also dad’s life. We don’t know how many more opportunities we’re going to have like this. His time clock is kind of running down, and that happens to all of us. So to me, this is a grand celebration at the century mark that not many people get.”
And the fact that so many came to celebrate was not lost on the family either.
“I don’t know if we’re different from other small towns, but people here care about each other,” Moss said. “That Kokomo will come together to honor someone that’s lived here his entire life … that they would come together in love and admiration just because of [Dad] says so much about this community.”
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