One by one, the cars pulled up outside of Compass Park in Franklin with windows rolled down, ready to spread birthday cheer.
Those in the car had come to see Deloris Amick, who waited patiently in her wheelchair outside the Franklin facility where she lives. Balloons, flowers and a cake with cupcakes had been laid out for the occasion.
All in all, it was a special way to recognize a century’s worth of life.
Amick celebrated her 100th birthday with about 25 family and friends on March 5, as well-wishers took part in a parade to stop and deliver greetings and encouragement. With COVID-19 restrictions limiting the kind of party they could have, this was the best available option, said Phil Amick, Deloris’ son.
But everyone felt it was important to recognize such an amazing woman and the life she’s led.
“We’re just trying to do something to make it feel like it’s her birthday,” Phil Amick said. “We wanted her to feel celebrated.”
Deloris Amick was born on March 5, 1921 at her family’s farm in the Needham area. She was the baby of the Vaught family, with two older brothers to watch over her. She attended Needham schools as a child, then graduated from Franklin High School in 1939. After high school, she attended Franklin College and then business college in Indianapolis.
During World War II, Amick worked as a secretary at Pittman Moore in Indianapolis, living at the YWCA and traveling home every weekend on the interurban train line. After the war, she worked at several companies, including Underwood Typewriters and American Red Ball.
She met her future husband, Ralph Amick, on a blind date in 1952. They gathered to watch television at a friend’s house. The couple dated for almost four years before their marriage on Nov. 20, 1955 at Community Congregational Church in Franklin. To celebrate their nuptials, they honeymooned in St. Louis.
Together, Deloris and Ralph Amick had two sons — Phil in 1958 and Wendell in 1959. Unfortunately, Ralph Amick died less than a year after Wendell was born.
After his death, Deloris Amick moved with her sons back to the family farm, where a house was built for them and relatives helped support the family.
She was a dedicated and frugal mother, who saved enough to put her sons through college, Phil Amick said.
After her sons moved out, Deloris Amick took advantage of her time by traveling. She took vacations with friends and visited 42 states — including her favorite, Hawaii, twice — as well as trips to Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and the Bahamas.
Over the years, she also enjoyed seeing her blended family grow, delighting in her five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. In 2019, she moved to Compass Park.
With her 100th birthday approaching, her family had planned to have a big celebration in Franklin, Phil Amick said.
“When she was 90, we had a party for her, and when she turned 95, we rented out Beeson Hall with about 75 people there. We wanted to do that again, but darn the pandemic,” he said. “I’ve only seen her face to face a couple times in the past year. We’re trying to do something special.”
So they planned the drive-by party. Staff at Compass Park enthusiastically helped arrange everything, and on the big day, everyone involved enjoyed a nice spring day, Phil Amick said.
“We may get to do something later in the summer, and we still want to do that,” he said.
