‘Sweet’ surprise: Daughter plans 80-year-old’s birthday party with sugary twist
Carol Newman tattled on her mother.
Her mom, Rita Pruette turned 80 on Sunday and her birthday party had to be creative. And a secret.
And, because of the coronavirus, her birthday bash had to be changed. She wanted to obey the social distancing rule.
So she told everyone in her church, friends and family to drive by the house in a parade-like fashion. Her one request — drop off a candy bar.
Her secret: Rita loves sweets.
“My mother has the biggest sweet tooth that’s known to mankind,” Newman said. “She’s just a sweet person.”
So Newman walked with her mother to the end of the driveway, next to the big hand-painted “80” cutout and colorful pinwheels. They waited.
Along came dozens of cars full of well-wishers, including grandchildren and great-grandchildren, passing in front of Pruette with balloons flapping in the wind and yelling “happy birthday!”
One woman on a golf cart played “Happy Birthday” on a trumpet. Some people took the candy request to the extreme and taped candy to poster boards with sayings and poetry..
“I’m just amazed and surprised,” Pruette said. “I’ve never been through anything like this, but it’s been wonderful to see everybody and I just love my daughter for doing it.”
Pruette said if she had known people would come out in droves, she would have “washed my hair and curled it better.”
Newman told her mom she was going with her husband for a dinner-for-two at a restaurant.
“She said she was going to bring me some fried chicken,” Pruette said.
Newman said she wanted her mother to have a birthday she would always remember.
“She can see how much she is loved,” she said.
