It was the honking and beeping that drew neighbours out of their homes in Cookstown’s Royal Oak Estates on Monday afternoon, as a parade of cars drove slowly past the home of Irene Cartwright.
The celebratory parade – made up of friends, family members, Red Hatters and a sprinkling of town councillors, including Mayor Lynn Dollin – marked a special milestone: Cartwright’s 97th birthday.
The nonagenarian, who has lived in Cookstown for over 13 years, was delighted by the tribute – and by the lawn signs and decorations, made by family members and her Red Hatter ‘Queen.’
Cartwright was Treasurer for her local chapter of the Red Hat Society social club, and had the nickname of ‘The Pitbull’ for her tenacity when it came to levying fines and dues, said her daughter Lynda Fradenburgh.
There were several carloads of Red Hatters who dropped by to celebrate the special day.
Fradenburgh was by Irene’s side, taking photos of the tributes, as the decorated cars drove past making two full circuits of the dead-end street. She accepted a number of gifts and cards from “party-goers.”
Cartwright, who has two daughters, seven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren, was smiling and gracious as she watched the cars and vans circle past.
Asked about her longevity, she said that she felt fine except, for “my damned knees… I should have had the operation, but I though I was too old. That was when I was 87.”
