When Juanita Williams turned 104, her neighbors gave her a flower for every year of her life.

People as young as 5 and as old as 97 marched down the Whitehurst neighborhood street in Severna Park on Thursday afternoon to surprise her with the bouquet.

Kati Elliott, a neighbor who organized the presentation, came up with the idea after doing something similar when her father turned 80.

Williams, born in Youngstown, Ohio, married her high school sweetheart, John Edward Williams, shortly after graduation and then moved to California with him. John Williams died in 1982.

She came to Maryland eight years ago and lives with her daughter, Pat Striffler, and son-in-law, Paul Striffler, both in their early 80s. She said she loves Severna Park and does not regret moving there.

“It’s just amazing, really, to live in a neighborhood with such good neighbors,” Williams said. “They are so supportive of one another, no matter what. If one’s sick, the other is bringing dinners, and if one goes away … somebody is coming to spend the nights with me.”

She said one of the things that contributed to her longevity is staying active, both physically and mentally. She loves puzzles and games, and does the word search in the newspaper every morning. She plays rummy with her family every night, and meets with a group of friends every other Tuesday for a game of Mexican Train, a game that uses dominoes, or Rummikub, a tile-based game that combines rummy and mahjong.

Cribbage is her claim to fame, and her son-in-law loses to her frequently, she said. Another element of her longevity, she believes, is being surrounded by friends.

“Have a lot of friends and don’t live with an angry attitude. Be happy and enjoy your friends. That’s my theory,” she said.

Williams, an avid sports fan, said she only watches television when there’s a game on.

“Oh, I’m for the O’s,” she said, referring to the Baltimore Orioles, who began their season with a record-setting win Thursday. “In fact, they opened today. They did that just for me.”

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