Retirement Community Will Celebrate Her 110th Birthday Sept. 25
Born in Lancaster County in 1915 when Woodrow Wilson was president and World War I was well under way, Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury resident Mrs. Irma Burke will celebrate her 110th birthday on Sept. 25! A cocktail reception will be held at 4 p.m. in RWC’s Auditorium for fellow residents and staff. White Stone Mayor William B. Hubbard will present her with the key to the town.
On her birthday, Burke will become what is considered extremely rare – a supercentenarian, a person who is 110 or older. According to Wikipedia, this age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians.
Burke is now in a wheelchair but enjoys chair exercise regularly as well as other fun physical activities such as noodle ball.
Burke grew up in a house with no telephone, no television, nor even electricity early in her life. “My mother’s first cousin graduated from VPI, so thanks to him, we finally got a Delco Motor because there were no electric lines in the county back then,” Burke said in an interview marking her 100th birthday in 2015.
A 21-year resident at RWC, Burke embraced a wide range of activities including reading, crocheting, gardening, bird watching, Bible study and especially taking part in fitness classes as part of RWC’s wellness initiative.
Burke said that her secret to longevity is “White Stone water” and staying active. From running around the fields of her family farm as a young child to now, exercising regularly – even in a wheelchair, she has always been active and believes that has played a big part in allowing her to remain involved in all the things she loves to do.
RWC residents Edna and John Roberts said Burke was the first person they met when visiting the area. “We came in 1950, and Irma’s husband owned the Esso station in White Stone,” John Roberts said. “She gave us a warm Northern Neck welcome. It’s amazing that she is celebrating turning 110!”
Prior to moving to RWC, Burke was born and raised in White Stone, Va. Burke enjoyed a loving marriage of 26 years, a career in banking, a daughter and a grandson. She volunteered at Rappahannock General Hospital for 27 years and logged more than 12,000 hours.
Her daughter, Catharine Burke Moore, said that her mother is excited to turn 110. She has celebrated in a big way every year since she reached the century mark. At 100 she was awarded RWC’s Lifetime Wellness Award. She was still participating in exercise classes such as yoga at this age. At 103, she wore a leather riding vest and posed for photos next to a Harley Davidson motorcycle. When she turned 105, the community organized a parade on the RWC campus which included emergency services vehicles from around Lancaster County.
The oldest living person in Virginia today is not currently listed in publicly available information, but based on recent news reports, Virginia Phillips Bell, born January 29, 1914, and known as “Estelle,” turned 111 in January 2025. She is the oldest registered voter in Mecklenburg County.
At 110, Mrs. Burke may be the second oldest woman in the Commonwealth!
