It’s not every day that you get to wish a happy birthday to someone who is more than a century old, but this week residents at The Village in Gainesville got to do just that. 

Chris Price, a resident at The Village, celebrated her 105^th birthday with a party that included a moment for the centenarian to blow out the candles on her giant birthday cake. 

Price’s daughter, Karla, was bursting with happiness as she readied for the party, making sure the cake was properly placed and cups of lemonade were ready for the guests.  

“Mom is amazing,” Karla said. “She takes no medications and refuses Novocain at the dentist. She’s one tough cookie and everyone at The Village loves her spirit and her wisecracks.”  

Indeed, Chris Price lived up to her daughter’s billing when asked about reaching this milestone date. Birthday Number 105.  

“My birthday is just normal,” she said. “It was coming and it did. That’s really it.”  

But she had more words of wisdom for those of aspiring to follow in her footsteps. Her guide to loving a longer and happier life is “don’t overdo things. Just enjoy.” 

That’s what she did at her own birthday celebration, where she made a good try at blowing out the candles on her cake. No, 105 candles were not placed on it, but enough to light up the words “Happy Birthday.”  

Several dozen friends, family, and residents of her unit at The Village showed up for the festivities.  

“I’m happy so many people are here,” she said, and then quipped, “it gives us something to do. And gives people a break from work.”  

Karla said her mom was born to immigrant parents in South Dakota on Feb. 15, 1919.  

“My great grandparents were part of the influx of people from the Netherlands who were seeking new lives….and settled in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. At that time, most took up farming.” 

Karla Price said her mom grew up with no electricity or indoor plumbing as a child.   

Chris Price took the Civil Service exam when she was 17 and was on her way to go to work in Washington, D.C., when an uncle convinced her to come to Norfolk, Virginia, for a visit.  

“The rest is history,” Karla joked, given that Norfolk is where Chris Price met her husband, Alfred Price, a Navy man. They were married for 62 years. 

Karla said her mom and dad moved to Gainesville many years ago and built a home. Karla, who attended the University of Florida, lived in South Florida but moved back to Gainesville.

Other attending family members included nieces Nona K. Barkley of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and Connie Young from Spearfish, South Dakota, who flew in for the occasion.

“I came for her 100th birthday and thought I should come for her 105th,” Connie said.