How Butler ‘leaplings’ feel about Leap year
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.
“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.
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.”
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.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
