Turning 103? Why Not Celebrate With A Parade?

HERNDON, VA — It's not every day that someone turns 103. So, when Judith Mandrgoc decided to celebrate her mother Elizabeth Zangel's 103rd birthday recently, she decided to pull out all the stops.

"We're a family that does celebrations. We get together for everything," said Mandrogoc. "But now with COVID-19, we're unable to get together."

Mandrogoc reached out to the Fairfax Community Emergency Response Team to see if any firefighters would be interested in helping her celebrate Zangel's birthday. After receiving a positive response from the Fox Mill Fire Station, she then called the Fair Oaks District Station of the Fairfax County Police Department, who also said they'd love to participate.

On Sunday, Oct. 4, Zangel sat in a lawn chair in front of Mandrogoc's home in the Apple Grove section of Franklin Farms to greet well-wishers and enjoy a parade of emergency vehicles, including a FCPD cruiser and a fire truck from Fairfax Fire and Rescue.

"Of all things, they sent an ambulance," Mandrogoc said, laughing. "All of us were bewildered. Is this going to be too much for my mother that they would send an ambulance? Who heard of an ambulance being in a line up of cars and fire trucks?

Despite the momentary confusion caused by the presence of an ambulance, the parade proved to be a big success.

"It was wonderful, the most perfect day," Mandrogoc said. "The neighbors were all there with their masks on. Many, many were across the street. My mother sat in the middle of the driveway in her beautiful white chair and she's playing the harmonica. The balloons are out. It could not have been more perfect. We all took great joy in celebrating my mother, which I share with everyone."

Zangel was honored and humbled by the outpouring of affection from everyone who came out.

"She was thanking people and so on," Mandrogoc said. "She just thought it was cool. She was just trying to take it all in. She was sitting in the chair smiling and people had fun observing her."

Zangel has been living with Mandrogoc's family in Franklin Farms since the end of 2012. Before the pandemic, she was a fixture in the neighborhood and active throughout the community. She and her family would sit in the same pew every Sunday at St. John Neumann Church in Reston, and she would attend morning Mass nearly every morning. In addition, Zangel would go to the Insight Memory Care Center five days a week.

"She really had a fun life, up until March when the virus took over," Mandrogoc said.

Zangel grew up in a family of 10 in Minnesota. She was married to Clarence Zangel, a truck driver, for 60 years, raising four children together. She has 13 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren.

"We're just so excited that mom is at an age where she can enjoy her children, her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren, most of whom live in this area. We're really fortunate," Mandrogoc said. "We get together every Sunday evening for dinner outside, everybody's got masks on, we're all separated."