By Sterling McGinn
A Newberry resident has hit the century mark.
Betty Fergin celebrated her milestone birthday surrounded by friends and family at the Newberry Assisted Living Community on Thursday, July 9.
Fergin was born on July 9, 1926, in Detroit to Albert and Minne Kemp. She attended Parker Grade School and Mackenzie High School in Detroit.
After completing high school, she worked as an assistant in a dental office. “I worked for Dr. Douglass in Detroit,” she said. She later worked in a clothing store.
Betty married Alfred Fergin, an Engadine native, on August 22, 1947, and they had one son, Daryl, who lives in the Detroit area. Alfred had a career as a car and house insurance salesman and operated the Fergin Real Estate Agency in Lavonia.
Later in life, the couple relocated to Curtis, where they lived on the lake for a number of years before coming to Newberry. Alfred died in Newberry on June 3, 2021, at age 99.
Betty says her fondest memories were spent in Englewood, Florida, where she and Alfred stayed during the winter months. Activities enjoyed in Florida included days at the beach, dancing and flying with her husband, who was an aviator.
“My husband had an airplane that could carry four passengers,” Fergin said.
Fergin says her birthday was a lot of fun and she enjoyed her friends and family—and good cake.
When asked about living for 100 years, Fergin said she is still taking one day at a time, and she never was in a hurry to go anywhere.
“You just have to make every minute count,” Fergin said.
