She still is pretty in pink

Mike Sciacca

A friend fondly calls Lorena Garlington her “Hollywood glamour

girl.”

At times, she can be found sporting a flower in her hair, or

wearing flamboyant colors, so says Regina Waszczak, Garlington’s

friend and neighbor from Wycliffe Gardens in Huntington Beach.

“She’s just a scream, a real one-of-a-kind person,” the

82-year-old Waszczak said. “I just love my friend.”

Garlington looked pretty in pink -- her color of choice -- and

wore two flowers in her coiffed hair on Tuesday, the day of her 103rd

birthday.

A celebration with friends, neighboring residents and staff

members of the County Villa Plaza, at the Costa Mesa and Santa Ana

border, was held Tuesday afternoon to honor Garlington, a native

Californian born on Jan. 28, 1900.

The party, held in a decorated dining room filled with balloons

and a large sign that displayed Garlington’s age, included two cakes

and punch, as well as a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” from

those in attendance.

The birthday girl insisted on completely cutting up one cake

herself. She then passed out the cut pieces to her well-wishers, said

Cindy Flynn, the director of nursing at Country Villa Plaza, who

attended the party.

“I think this is wonderful,” Garlington said of her birthday

party.

So how does it feel to be 103?

“I never really thought about it,” she said. “But I’m happy to be

here.”

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at

(714) 965-7171 or by e-mail at [email protected].