A number of “leaplings” shared their thoughts about their unusual birthday and how they celebrate.
Terry Waite, Butler
Leap year Birthday: 17
Actual Birthday: 68
When someone asks your age, what do you say?: “It just depends, but usually just my real age.”
Do you celebrate in February or March?: “I always consider my birthday in February. So we always celebrate on the 28.”
Favorite memory: For Waite’s 10/40 birthday, her friends threw her a Barbie birthday.
Related Article: How Butler residents celebrate Leap year birthdays
“My friends they got me like little girl stuff, like Barbies and training bras. It was a lot of fun.”
How will she be celebrating her birthday this year?: Waite will be in Florida, celebrating with her son, who will be retiring from the Air Force on Thursday.
Terry Waite celebrating her leap-year birthday with son in Florida, who is retiring from the Air Force on the same day. Submitted image
Christina Kozlowski, Butler
Leap year birthday: 12 years old
Actual age: 48
When someone asks your age, what do you say?: “I tell people ‘You don’t ask a lady their age.’”
Celebrate in February or March?: “When I was younger, I celebrated in February and March. I get two months of birthdays.”
Favorite memory: “When I was 16, my mother put me in the paper.”
Any drawbacks on having a leap year birthday?: “My nieces and nephew try to tell me I have to listen to them because they’re older than me, but I tell them it doesn’t work that way.”
Christina Kozlowski of Butler had her “third” birthday in the Butler Eagle in 1928. Submitted Image
Melissa S. Bowser, Petrolia
Leap year birthday: 14 years old
Actual age: 56
When someone asks your age, what do you say?: “I tell people I’m turning 56, but I tell them that I’m on child labor laws.”
Celebrate in February or March? “I get my husband to celebrate on the 28th and the first. I celebrate it for 48 hours because I can’t make up my mind.”
Favorite memory: “My first birthday because the Butler County courthouse celebrated it for us.”
Perks of having a leap year birthday: “I feel special. The kids beside me at school would tell me they had the same birthday but 9 out of 10 times they didn’t.”
Family connection: Bowser’s niece also has a leap year birthday.
From left are Michelle Reinhart, Melissa Freiters, Sonya Barnes and Kay Ellen Double as they celebrate their “first” birthday in 1972. Butler Eagle Archive
Jennifer Fester, Butler Township
Leap year birthday: 11
Actual age: 44
When someone asks your age, what do you say?: “I tell them 11, because of the whole leap thing I don’t really get a birthday, so I tell them I’m turning 11. People look at me like I’m crazy, but that’s OK.”
Celebrate in February or March?: “A little bit of both, my parents always said that technically I was born in February, but they would do something small on March 1 because I wasn’t here on the 28th.”
Favorite memory: “I’ll give my husband props on this one, when I turned 30 aka 10, he surprised me with a trip to the Dominican Republic.”
Plans for this birthday?: “I will be spending my 11th birthday celebrating in Vegas.”
Any drawbacks on having a leap year birthday: “Anytime you have to fill out a form online you have to put in the year that you were born first. Usually it goes month, date then year, but I have to start at the year so my date shows up. It’s a weird thing that you never get used to.”
Jennifer Fester celebrating her “10th” birthday in the Dominican Republic. Submitted Image
Margaret Moore, Lived in Butler for 88 years
Leap year birthday — 23
Actual age: 92
When someone asks age, what do you say?: “I don’t keep track of my age. After all these years, birthdays just come and go.”
Celebrate in February or March: “My dad would work on swing shifts, so we usually celebrated in February.”
Advice for living a long life. “Do what you want to do.”
Margaret Moore celebrates her 92 birthday with friends and family. Submitted Image
Carol Nesti, Middlesex Township
Leap Year Birthday: 10
Actual age: 40
When someone asks your age, what do you say?: “I say both even on non-leap years.”
Celebrate in February or March?: “I celebrate actually on March first because my twin stepsons’ birthday are actually on February 28.”
Favorite memory: “When I turned 20, I was turning 5, my cousin did a full blown Disney princess theme party.”
Any drawbacks on having a leap year birthday?: “Before I could get a drink on my 21st birthday I had to explain to the bartender what leap year was.”
Keeping it in the family: “When my stepsons turned eight, I also turned eight.”
Carol Nesti is pictured celebrating her first leap year birthday. Submitted Image
Mason Donaldson, Evans City
Leap year birthday: 3
Actual age: 12
When someone asks you age, what do you say?: “I usually give them my real age, but if they realize I was born on a leap year I tell them I’m turning three.”
Celebrate in February or March?: “We usually celebrate on March first because I was born around 10:40 at night.”
Plans for this year’s birthday?: “I think I’m going out to dinner at my favorite hibachi restaurant with my friends.”
What do you like about having a Leap year birthday?: “It’s good to have a unique birthday. It’s cool to have a leap year birthday, it’s cool to have two ages.”
Sonya Huff, Butler
Leap year birthday: 14
Actual age: 56
When someone asks your age, what do you say?: “I give them the actual birthday, unless my kids are around and they’ll say ‘no she’s lying to you.”
Celebrate in February or March?: “I celebrate on both days. Last year it was a whole week, for 55 I had to get something extra there.”
What do you like having a leap year birthday?: “It’s unique and it’s different. They are all pretty special, my family try to make it great on leap years.”
Related Article: How Butler residents celebrate Leap year birthdays
