Carol Stream woman, 104, gets global birthday wishes

Lots of people are wishing Carol Stream resident Ruth Smith a happy birthday this year.

Some of them she's never even met.

By the time Ruth turned 104 on Thursday, she had received more than 100 greeting cards from across the globe.

“My cousins and I thought it would be cool if she could get cards from all over the world,” Jennifer Larrabee of Glen Ellyn, one of Ruth's six grandchildren, said.

Family members posted the request on their Facebook pages with the goal of collecting 104 cards for Ruth. Larrabee says they far exceeded expectations, with birthday greetings trickling in day by day from as far away as Abu Dhabi, France and Switzerland.

“One of the cutest was one from Hawaii,” Larrabee said.

A distant relative, hearing of the birthday request, sent a lei she had been given when she turned 81 for Ruth to wear on her own special day.

Surrounded by fellow residents, staff and family, many wearing party hats, Ruth continued to receive flowers and heartfelt notes.

“It's got me in tears,” Ruth said of a bouquet of roses and daisies sent from Denver by the daughter of a childhood friend.

“We were just like sisters,” she said.

Ruth lived in Ohio until age 93 when her husband died. She moved into Belmont Village, an assisted living facility in Carol Stream, to be closer to family. There she is not only the oldest, but also the longest-tenured resident in the facility's 10-year history.

Though many have asked, Ruth said she has no real secret for her long life. She never smoked, she said, and she never drank alcohol.

As Larrabee, her daughters Grace and Catherine, and Larrabee's mother Joanne Travers looked on, Ruth moved to the edge of her chair to make a wish and blow out her candles.

After a few puffs, and a little extra help, the flames were extinguished.

Ruth smiled.

“I got some steam left,” she said.

“Yeah,” Larrabee said. “I think you've got a lot of steam.”