The Necklace: A nice touch for 90th birthday party

Wanda Liggett with daughter, Donna, and sons Ronald, Gary, David and Thomas

It was a nice touch to the 90th birthday party of Wanda Kathryn Liggett.

In one display of photographs was one of Wanda as a young girl being held by her mother, Lucy O. (Sauers) Riley. Showing quite nicely in the mother-daughter portrait was a beautiful necklace she was wearing.

Some attending the party on Sunday afternoon may not have known, but that same necklace was being worn--nearly nine decades later--by Lucy's granddaughter and Wanda's youngest child and only daughter Donna Kay (Liggett) Prulhiere.

The party for Wanda was at the home of Donna and her husband, Richard, in Tallmadge. Also there were Wanda's four sons, Ronald Lee, Gary Ray, David Lawrence and Thomas Allen. Wanda also has 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Wanda Kathryn Liggett was born September 2, 1918 in Tuscarawas County, the daughter of Clarence and Lucy (Sauers) Riley and was a 1937 graduate of Midvale High School.

Wanda was married October 5, 1940 in Greenup, Kentucky, to Lawrence Liggett, son of Percy and Grace (Parker) Liggett and grandson of Frank and Nora (Penn) Liggett. Wanda still lives in their home on Greenfield Circle in Tallmadge. Her husband died 21 years ago on October 25, 1987.

Dorothy Huston, a sister of Lawrence, sent an album of photos from the early days. There was a huge cake which said " Happy 90th Birthday Wanda, Mini, Grandma, Great Grandma" and the greeting "Happy 90th Birthday Grandma!" was written with pink chalk on a blackboard.

Wanda's first avocation has always been art. She described for us how she recently used a new medium to capture in paint a photograph she noticed and liked in the newspaper. She still has one grandchild art student and her older graduates were among grandchildren gathered for the big day.

Happy Birthday, Wanda.

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