The friends and family of Eileen Devaney did not let distance stop them from celebrating her 70th birthday.
On Saturday, April 12, Eileen Devaney, president of the Williston Chamber of Commerce, was simply expecting some family members to stop by to wish her a happy birthday from afar. Instead, a parade of about 40 cars filled with family, friends and colleagues arrived at her Westbury home in the early afternoon sporting signs and decorations to mark the occasion.
“It was really very creative,” Devaney said in an interview Tuesday.
“They had a huge parade of people—friends, family, grandchildren,” said Devaney. “And my granddaughter, who’s 10 years old, made a beautiful video. She got the other grandchildren, I have 10 grandchildren. . .to say nice things about me, and they gave it to me.”
“My son [Thomas Devaney] is in the East Williston Fire Department and he decorated their old-fashioned truck with signs and balloons,” she added.
In this time of isolation, Devaney said, even just seeing people for a few minutes helps.
“It was lovely. Not what we would normally do, but we did the best we could.”
