Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Reston family marks a milestone
Four generations of Reston women celebrated their matriarch's' 100th birthday on March 6 at the Sunrise Assisted Living in Reston.
Hazel Loney moved to Reston from California two years ago to be closer to her daughter, Carol Bley, her granddaughter Betty Bley and her great-granddaughter, Betty's daughter Mackenzie MacDonald.
Previously, Loney had lived in D.C., Ohio, Texas and Arlington, and worked as an assistant at the George Washington Medical School in 1931.
On the walls of her apartment are paintings she created throughout her life, including a still life from 1967.
A framed collage of invitations from the White House include ones from former presidents Calvin Coolidge, Grover Cleveland, Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt. Her father-in-law was a lawyer who worked at the Supreme Court, so she and her husband Robert were often invited to events at the White House.
Loney married Robert, now deceased, in 1935, but the couple had to marry in Baltimore because of a government rule at the time that said no more than one person per household could be a federal employee. Loney had a job at the time as a clerk-typist at the Department of Agriculture, and her husband worked as an architect for the government.
“If we had gotten married in Washington, it would have been in the paper and people would have known,” she said.
Carol Bley has been a resident of Reston since 1968 with her husband Fritz. Betty graduated from South Lakes High School in 1983 and returned to Reston in 1999.
Mackenzie Bley, who loves horseback riding and Scottish dancing, is a student at Forest Edge Elementary School.
“I think it's really neat,” she said of her great-grandmother's milestone.
Carol Bley believes her mother's fortitude comes from her attitude.
“She's always had a positive outlook on life,” she said.
While she calls her mother's birthday a “remarkable accomplishment,” Carol added that she's relieved Loney's driver license finally expired two years ago.
The four women all share red hair and a love of music. Carol played the violin, her brother John played the cello and Betty plays the clarinet for the Loudoun Symphony.
Hazel's grandson Darren from her son John will be flying out from California to perform a piece he composed in honor of her birthday, along with Betty and other musicians.
“It's just fantastic,” said Betty of the piece. “It's based on Stravinsky's 'The Rite of Spring.'”
You must be logged in to post a comment.