WASHINGTON — A D.C. woman celebrates a milestone birthday this week. Willie Mae Avery will be turning 107 on May 28.
Friends and family gathered to celebrate her birthday Wednesday at Walker Memorial Baptist Church, which the retired church deaconess considers a second home.
Jacqueline Ellis, a deacon at Walker Memorial, said Avery was an active deacon when she came to the church, and until Avery got sick she was always at the church and offering help wherever it was needed.
"She was always serving, she would go and visit the nursing homes. She would put things in her car and ride down the street and if she saw someone she thought needed something, she would stop and ask them if they needed it," Ellis said.
Ellis explained that even though she is not an active deacon any longer at 106, she remains an important member of the church with a bright and beautiful spirit.
"We are here to celebrate and honor a life well lived. Ms. Willie Mae Avery will be 107 on May 28, 2022. She was born in 1915. Deaconess Avery is such a wonderful spirit. She is such a lovely woman," Ellis said. "Her spirit is such a joy. She's a loving person, she's a kind person. Her spirit is all about service to the lord."
"She knows it's a blessing to be here today," Ellis said.
Avery is a resident of Ward 4 in D.C. and has been recognized by the Department of Aging as a DC Centenarian and is now being recognized as the oldest living resident in the District.
During Wednesday's celebration, complete with cake and balloons, a member of Mayor Muriel Bowser's office issued a proclamation wishing Avery a happy birthday and thanking her for being a pillar of her community.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A missing University of South Carolina student has been found dead, according to Columbia Police.
The Richland County Coroner's Officer said Tuesday 18-year-old Donaven Dempsey has been positively identified as the person found deceased in the Congaree River Sunday afternoon.
Police said Dempsey had left his hometown of Spartanburg on May 8 and returned to Columbia. He had last been seen walking in an area near Hampton Street in Columbia near West Columbia. Police said Dempsey didn't contact his loved ones after that point.
The Columbia Police Department said on social media Tuesday that no foul play is suspected.
“We will continue working with the Columbia Police Department, the Columbia Fire Department, and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to fully investigate this incident,” Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford states.
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