KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Friends and family gathered Saturday for a special celebration for a Kansas City resident who turned 105.
“She’s not like a normal 105-year-old grandmother, if there is such a thing,” said Mark Byrd, Mason Byrd’s grandson.
Mason Byrd’s legacy spans five generations, including up to 200 grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, and great-great-great-grandchildren.
Jack McCormick/KSHB
“Well, they call me the matriarch, and that makes me important,” Mason Byrd said.
She claims her secret to a long life is love.
“The key to longevity is to take it easy, love your neighbor and love yourself,” she said. “I think self-love comes first.”
Mason Byrd also maintains an active lifestyle. She attends water aerobics classes twice a week, cooks, does puzzles and wins Words With Friends.
Jack McCormick/KSHB
“She beats everyone,” joked Otona Dahmer, Mason Byrd’s daughter. “I stopped playing with her because she beats me.”
The 105-year-old still loves life.
“We laugh all the time, you know, she’s a very happy person; I think that’s what keeps her alive,” Dahmer said.
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KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
