Mary Lea Forsythe has rarely celebrated on her actual birthday
An Oklahoma woman just turned 100 but has only celebrated 25 actual birthdays, as she was born on Leap Day in 1924.
"It’s very unusual," Mary Lea Forsythe, 100, of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, told Fox News Digital.
For that reason, her family and friends flew in from all over the country to celebrate the special occasion.
About 100 people attended her party, held at the Sand Springs Methodist Church.
"It was just fabulous," Forsythe said. "Everyone was so happy to be there, and I was happy to be there. People didn’t care if they were there to celebrate my 25th birthday or 100th. I was really grateful."
Mary Lea Forsythe, front, celebrated her 100th birthday at the Sand Springs Methodist Church in Oklahoma with family and friends. Forsythe has only celebrated 25 actual birthdays since she was born on Leap Day. (Kerry Nau)
Leap years happen when an extra day is added to the end of February, giving that year 366 days, instead of the standard 365.
It’s a method of regulating the Gregorian calendar, so the seasons do not shift — causing problems for farmers and their crops, for one.
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For people born on that day, it means choosing another day to celebrate a birthday.
Forsythe said when she was young, she usually chose one of her three sisters’ birthdays.
Mary Lea Forsythe shown in a photograph at age 4. She was born on Feb. 29, 1924. (Kerry Nau)
As the years went on, she chose her late husband’s birthday.
"He was born on the 6th of March," she said. "So, just a few days later. One year, we went to a restaurant that had a free breakfast [for people's] birthday. We walked in and I asked if they still had the birthday special. He said, ‘Yes, whose birthday is it?’ I said, ‘Ours. My birthday is on February 29.’"
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About 5 million people worldwide have a Leap Day birthday — out of about 8 billion people on the planet, the Associated Press reported.
"People didn’t care if they were there to celebrate my 25th birthday or 100th. I was really grateful," Forsythe said. (Kerry Nau)
Last week, the Centenarians of Oklahoma recognized Forsythe and awarded a proclamation to her from the city on her 100th birthday.
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Forsythe said she was scheduled to speak to her local Daughters of the American Revolution chapter on her birthday, but there was a surprise in store.
Forsythe was met by a large group of loved ones and community members who gathered to celebrate her 100th birthday on Leap Day, Feb. 29, 2024. (Kerry Nau)
"When I walked in, flashes were going off and they were taking my pictures and all the seats were filled and people were standing along the wall," she said.
"There was punch and cake. I walked to the podium without a cane and talked for about half an hour. A reporter who came from The Leader, which is our local paper, interviewed me, and then she sent it to the Tulsa World. Then it went to the wire and now people from every state in the nation want to talk to me."
Going viral is not something that Forsythe, who has spent her whole life in Sand Springs, is accustomed to — but she’s taking it in stride, she said.
"I’m getting cards from people I don’t even know," she said.
Forsythe said she leans on her faith, and has written a book inspired by her love for Jesus. She's pictured here with Ephraim Nau, one of her great-grandchildren. (Kerry Nau)
Forsythe grew up in a small community, located just outside the city of Tulsa.
That’s where she met her husband, William Wayne Forsythe.
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"Oh, mercy, I was on the high school grounds one day and I heard someone laughing," she said.
Kerry Nau, Forsythe’s granddaughter, at left, planned Forsythe’s 100th birthday celebration and flew in from California for the party. (Kerry Nau)
"When I saw him I thought he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. But after that, I couldn’t find him, so I kind of gave up."
It turned out they were both in the school’s mixed chorus that year — and when Forsythe heard that laugh again, she knew it was him.
"He was sitting behind me, and he was the best bass singer in the state," she said.
"So we got acquainted throughout high school, and then he went into the Army during World War II. He was a deep sea diver on detached service to the Navy, and he would go down 200 feet and blow ships out of the harbor in Japan, so our ships could go in," Forsythe said.
William Wayne Forsyth, left, and Mary Lea Forsythe, right, were married for 69 years before he died in 2011. (Kerry Nau)
Her husband returned from the war with a mission to make his community a better place, Forsythe said.
He worked for the City of Sand Springs for 32 years in emergency management and 20 years as a volunteer firefighter. Meanwhile, she worked in real estate and for two local law firms. She also sang with a pianist in Tulsa over the years.
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The couple had two children and five grandchildren.
Today, Forsythe has 11 great-grandchildren.
The pair were married for 69 years before William Wayne Forsyth died in 2011.
Mary Lea Forsythe of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, turned 100 on Feb. 29, 2024, but has celebrated only 25 actual birthdays in her life, due to being born on Leap Day. (Kerry Nau)
Faith, Forsythe said, has been a guiding factor in her life.
"I always wanted to sit in the front row of the church," Forsythe said.
"I loved the music and when they talked about how Jesus loves you, and He would be helpful to you all your life if you'd give your heart to Him, I said, ‘That's for me.’ I walked up and knelt at the altar and prayed, and then I went back to my seat. And I've never regretted it."
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She recently published a book entitled, "You Are Fantastic," which was inspired by her love of Jesus and the Bible, she said.
"I was reading the Bible and praying one night and it came to 2 a.m., but I thought, ‘I need to go to bed,’" Forsythe said.
"There's no reason to throw your life away. That's one thing that my little booklet ends up on: Pay attention to Jesus and your life will be happy."
— Mary Lea Forsythe
"I lay down and I thought, ‘I might not remember what I'm thinking, so I'm going to get up and write it down. I went back to the desk and I had a pad and a pen and I wrote it a little bit. And then I'd turn the page and write more."
By 4 a.m., she’d written 40 pages and her daughter, who is an editor, helped her publish a small book that encourages people to see the good in themselves.
"You Are Fantastic" is available for $15 at local shops in Sand Springs and Tulsa.
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Forsythe said her book has sold out twice.
Besides volunteering with the Daughters of the American Revolution, she's been involved with the Republican Women's Club and the Chamber of Commerce.
Forsythe attributes her long life to good genetics, never smoking or drinking and simply loving life.
Mary Lea Forsythe of Oklahoma celebrated her birthday on her actual birthday, Feb. 29. She turned 100 years old on that day, which was Leap Day, and was surrounded by loved ones. (Kerry Nau)
Her advice to young people just starting out is simple: "Read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to learn exactly what Jesus wants you to be like and how he will help you do that," she said.
"There's no reason to throw your life away. That's one thing that my little booklet ends up on – pay attention to Jesus and your life will be happy."
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
Gretchen Eichenberg is a contributing reporter for Fox News Digital.
