Saxonburg mayor issues proclamation on special birthday
SAXONBURG — The sea of purple in the all-purpose rooms at Magnolia Place of Saxonburg on Oct. 3 celebrated a 100-year-old mirage.
Evans City native Ruth Mirage, who has lived at Magnolia Place for almost two years, was feted by her family, staff and fellow residents on that date, which marked her achievement of reaching three-digit status.
Mirage wore a sweater of her favorite color and a feathered purple fascinator for the event, and purple tablecloths and balloons festooned the tables.
“She told me since she was 95 that she was going to make it to 100, and today is proof she did it,” said Donna Martin, of Butler Township, who is Mirage’s daughter.
As others marveled at her advanced age, Mirage nonchalantly indulged in Reese’s Peanut Butler Cups and jelly beans, her two favorite treats.
Mirage was born in Pittsburgh on Oct. 3, 1924, and raised in Evans City as one of seven children of Leah and Stephen Banyay.
She graduated from Evans City High School — now the defunct Evans City Elementary/Middle School — as valedictorian in 1942. She worked at an auto-parts store in Evans City before meeting Thomas Mirage and marrying him just the day before her birthday in 1954.
The couple built a house on Hutchman Road in Adams Township, where they raised mink for many years. They later built another house in Cochranton, Crawford County, and moved the mink operation there.
The Mirages had three sons and one daughter.
After her children were grown, Mirage worked at St. John Specialty Care in Mars for many years. She enjoyed taking bus trips with her husband after the two retired.
Thomas died in 2008.
Martin said her mother was known for her expert seamstress skills in her younger years, as well as for being an excellent cook and baker.
“Everything was from scratch,” she said.
She also recalled her mom’s kindness-based child-rearing style.
“She never yelled at us,” Martin said.
Extended family at the Magnolia Place party also were thrilled to celebrate Mirage’s 100th birthday.
“She was a wonderful aunt,” said Mirage’s niece, Joyce Bogolea, of Zelienople. “She taught me how to sew on my grandmother’s treadle sewing machine.”
Her cousin, Beverly Banyay, also of Zelienople, said she has heartwarming memories when she looks at Mirage.
“When I was little, I would go stay overnight and she had a double bed,” Banyay said. “I could go sleep in bed with her.”
She also recalled her Aunt Ruth’s fluffy pancakes, as well as the Hungarian kifli cookies she made each year for the holidays.
“Ruth’s father was Hungarian,” Banyay said. “I never liked (the kifli).”
But she did, and continues to, adore her aunt.
“She is just the most loving, giving person,” Banyay said. “Always concerned about the other person.”
Amie Feeney, director of quality assurance at Magnolia Place at Saxonburg, planned the purple party for Mirage.
Asked what type of person Mirage is, and Feeney tears up.
“Ruth is a very special lady,” Feeney said. “Very kind, sweet and down to Earth.
She said Mirage’s smile lights up any room she enters.
“If we could have more in this world like Ruth, the world would be much better,” she said.
She also called Mirage a wise woman, and marveled that she lived on her own until age 97.
“And she’s funny, too,” Feeney said. “She can give you some real corkers on some days.”
Singer Kathy Zang entertained those in attendance with upbeat songs of the 1950s and early ’60s, like “It’s My Party,” “Johnny Angel,” and “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?”
Bill Gillespie, Saxonburg mayor, was happy to read a proclamation before those gathered at the party.
The official document outlined Mirage’s life and named Oct. 3, 2024, Ruth Mirage Day in Saxonburg.
“This is the best part of this job of mayor,” Gillespie said as he watched Mirage snitch another Reese’s cup. “It’s an amazing thing to be 100.”
Mirage had one piece of advice for young people who want to someday celebrate a century of life.
“They have to live a good life,” she said.
