The Color Guard of the American Legion Post 406 out of Bethel stopped by to pay their respects to Burrel on his birthday as well.
Pictured is Anthony Spaetzel, a field representative with Congressman Brad Wenstrup’s Cincinnati office, presenting a proclamation to Burrel on account of his 100th birthday.
Pictured are some of the scenes from close friends, church members and neighbors of Burrel’s who came back to wish him happy birthday.
Pictured are some of the scenes from close friends, church members and neighbors of Burrel’s who came back to wish him happy birthday.
Pictured are some of the scenes from close friends, church members and neighbors of Burrel’s who came back to wish him happy birthday.
Pictured are some of the scenes from close friends, church members and neighbors of Burrel’s who came back to wish him happy birthday.
Pictured is the banner that hung outside the house; it was impossible to miss which house was the one celebrating Burrel’s 100th birthday.
Pictured are the medals and honors Burrel received during his time with the United States Navy in WWII.
To put into perspective how young the United States is, as Amelia resident Burrel Saylor celebrated his 100th birthday, consider this:
Burrel was born just 57 years after Abraham Lincoln celebrated his 56th birthday amid the Civil War, only three months prior to being assassinated.
He and Lincoln share the same birthday, in fact, of Feb. 12, which is only one of the interesting facts about Burrel.
Another is that Burrel has lived in Amelia since 1956 when he bought the house in which he’s still independently living.
During WWII, Burrel was a member of the United States Navy’s 115 Patrol Bombing Squadron, which chased enemy submarines.
Not as well known as other aspects of WWII, the U.S. Navy brought air power to bear upon the Pacific and European theaters of war where enemy submarines patrolled; to the latter, in collaboration with the Royal Navy, the Navy worked to confront Germany’s U-boats, “Hitler’s submarine menace in the European theater,” as one Department of Defense article put it.
Burrel was part of the Pacific Theater defense, launching from Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, and would fly out toward the Caroline Islands, the tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, looking for targets.
He likely would’ve been flying the B-24, a heavy bomber plane, with “navalized” design modifications, known as the PB4Y.
Burrel said one of his fondest memories of flying was when he flew over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and returned flying under the famed Bridge.
In the course of flying his missions, at one point, Burrel’s nose became frostbitten.
That’s something he still brings up to this day, and was of particular note on his birthday, with the weather dipping to about 27 degrees Fahrenheit and an added wind chill factor.
Peggy, his daughter, quipped about them not being able to find a nose warmer for him.
Manning the heated seats of his son-in-law, Mike Morrissey’s vehicle at the latter’s home in Batavia Township, Burrel waved to various vehicles who stopped by to drop off birthday cards in a bin setup by the mailbox. Many were friends, neighbors and churchgoers of his from his home in Amelia.
Flags, banners and balloons made Morrissey’s house unmistakable once one made the turn onto Wood Brook Drive.
A number of those who drove up showed Burrel their handmade signs wishing him a happy birthday. Another gentleman even busted out his own guitar and sang Burrel, “Happy Birthday.”
One of the passing friends said when things get better, they’ll go to KFC.
Despite the cold though, gracious and elated to see his friends honoring him, Burrel would jump down from the seat and walk in his white New Balance shoes down the driveway to greet them with a hug and a hearty, “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” and an added, “I love you!”
Peggy remarked that Burrel loved hugs and prayers and gave the best hugs.
“This is a day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice,” Burrel said.
When asked if he was too cold, Burrel, who was wearing his flat cap (or newsboy cap, or Gatsby, or cabbie, or whichever moniker you find befitting) and a scarf given to him by one of his friends he’s known since 1968, stated, “I’m not too cold.”
Burrel was more concerned about his longtime friend not having a hat — which he then pulled a handmade hat (from another friend) out of the vehicle to give to him — and that this reporter wasn’t dressed warm enough (fact check: true).
After his service during WWII, Burrel continued his service in a different form, first with the Corps of Engineers in Oregon and Kentucky, and then with the Internal Revenue Service in Cincinnati, before retiring at the age of 56.
Locally, he was at one point a council member for the village of Amelia; he taught in the now-defunct Amelia Church of Christ; and as Congressman Brad Wenstrup pointed out in a proclamation given to Burrel, “most importantly,” was his marriage of 68 years to his wife, Doris, who passed in 2012.
After his retirement, Burrel enjoyed playing golf with Doris and did so for about 18 years.
At his age, Burrel was proud of the fact that he could still walk, that he still independently lives in his home in Amelia and that he feels good and doesn’t have to worry about his health.
When asked what he does in his “downtime,” Burrel was also proud of the fact that he does his own washing and drying and vacuuming. But when not cleaning, he reads the Bible, watches birds as he has a number of bird feeders, and enjoys listening to music.
Burrel passed on his love of music to Peggy via the guitar and singing with her. That’s what Peggy said was her fondest memory of her dad: Playing guitar and singing together.
“So, it was just a very special time, I guess, for the two of us,” she added.
Much of the music they played and sang together was church music.
Peggy then asked Burrel what songs they used to sing together; he thought about it.
“Jesus Saves,” and “Power in the Blood,” were the ones that came to mind, but it was the Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard song, “It’s My Lazy Day,” that got Burrel to break out into song for Peggy and this reporter:
“Well I might have gone fishin’
I got to thinkin’ it over
The road to the river
Is a mighty long way
Well, it must be the season
No rhyme or no reason
I’m takin’ it easy
It’s my lazy day.”
Unprompted, Burrel added, “I love you all. I’m so thankful.”
Peggy is one of Burrel’s three daughters, the other two being Rita and Kathy; Marvin is the sole son and the youngest of the bunch.
It became a running gag among the family, which included grandchildren and great-grandchildren, to see how many teal envelopes were in the bin, a sign that many had grabbed the same 100th birthday card — there are only so many options for those, after all.
Friends and family weren’t the only ones on hand.
The Color Guard of the American Legion Post 406 out of Bethel also stopped by to pay their respects to Burrel on his birthday as well.
That brought the neighbors out to watch, cheer and shout, “Happy birthday!” to Burrel.
Anthony Spaetzel, a field representative with Wenstrup’s Cincinnati office, brought the proclamation to Burrel.
“Active in local politics and a faithful financial contributor to the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C., your service to our country and your community has truly made a difference. You have touched many lives in your lifetime. Thank you again for your service. I wish you all the best,” Wenstrup said in the proclamation.
Morrissey said if he had to speak to what Burrel’s “secret” to living to 100 was, it’s the Lord, his love of Jesus and serving in his church.
When asked directly, Burrel said, “I eat good, sleep good and do good.”
Pictured is Burrel Saylor, who turned 100-years-old on Feb. 12, 2022, standing outside of his daughter’s home in Batavia Township. Neighbors and friends streamed by in cars and on foot to wish him a happy birthday.