COOLEEMEE — “I’m flabbergasted. I didn’t know anything was going on,” said John L. “Jack” Jerome when asked what he thought about his surprise party honoring him for his 100th birthday party.
Held Aug. 8 at the Cooleemee-Mocksville Memorial VFW Post 1119, the party was hosted by the Post’s Auxiliary featuring a hot dog lunch with all the trimmings and cake and ice cream.
Jerome will turn 100 on Aug. 19; however, the party was held early because he will be treated to a family celebration on his actual birthday.
Born in Pittsboro, Jerome attended what was then North Carolina State College for a year and joined the United States Navy serving during World War II from 1944-46. Following his time of service, he returned and finished school and moved to Cooleemee to work at Erwin Mills. A textile chemist, he went to work at Proctor Chemical, which became National Starch which is where he retired.
Married to Martha, who died in 2022, the couple had three children, two daughters, Martha Ward and Ann Jerome, both of whom live in the area and a son, John Jerome who lives in Alabama and four grandchildren, the youngest of which serves in the United States Air Force, noted Ann Jerome.
She shared that since his retirement, her dad has lived in Bermuda Village in Bermuda Run, where Ward and husband Jeff also live, they said.
Jack Jerome remains active as he volunteers at Davie Medical, something he has done since he retired, going two days a week and volunteering for three hours at a time.
When asked what it is about volunteering that he enjoys, he said, “it’s interesting. It gives me something to do. It’s fun.”
A longtime member of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Cooleemee, he served for years as treasurer and is still an active member.
He also is active with the VFW Post 1119 and Ann Jerome said that “when they do the hamburgers and hot dogs, he’s always working in the kitchen.”
At multiple places in the room, small plastic french fry toys were placed along with a french fry hat for him to wear. Martha Ward said her dad was the french fry cooker and “has been up here doing this for years” and agreed that he “does more than most.”
Through the years, Jack Jerome has enjoyed model trains and traveling.
Ann Jerome said, “he and mom traveled a lot. He’s been to a bunch of countries.”
He said of the places he has been to, very few were due to his time in the military but most were volunteering that he was doing.
Following his retirement, he did consulting for the International Executive Service Corps, and was working with textile companies in some third-world country, said Ann Jerome, adding that he went to Egypt a couple times, Turkey, Pakistan, South America and he added several places in South America.
He and his wife would travel together and be gone for months at the time, she said, but the pair also traveled for fun, going to Europe.
Jack Jerome said he “traveled a lot and I’ve enjoyed it.”
As for a favorite place, he said, “oh boy, I’ve been to so many. I’ve been all over the world. The only places I haven’t been to are the South Pole and Australia. I’ve been everywhere else time after time.”
As people arrived for the party, the sign outside the building displayed a happy 100th birthday greeting and inside, the room was decorated with balloons and tablecloths with 100 on them.
Members of the Post along with family, friends and VFW representatives dropped by to wish him a happy birthday.
Mickey Briggs, VFW state commander, Department of North Carolina, came to help him celebrate. Briggs said this was the first time for him to meet Jack but said, “I heard he was having a birthday and I live in the Fayetteville area and I said, ‘We’re coming for the birthday.’”
Heather Woods, president of VFW Post 1119 Auxiliary, said the party was a surprise and something she felt was important to do for Jerome as she said, “our World War II veterans are leaving us too quickly,” and it is important they get recognized.
Woods said she is new to the post, having just moved to the area a year and a half ago and after joining started to meet the members last summer.
During one of their hot dog and hamburger meals held twice a month at the VFW Post, someone told her she needed to meet Jack, who was in the kitchen wearing his french fry hat.
She learned that he was 99 at that time and said they needed to do something for him. His reply was to not worry about it and wait until he was 100, “thinking I would forget about it,” she said. But she didn’t, and approached his family and others at the VFW and all were in agreement and the party was planned.
She also said having the event was important because she had “three grandparents, two grandfathers and a grandmother to serve in World War II and they’ve all passed and this is just kind of something I could do for him because I couldn’t do it for them.”
After a group photo was taken, the crowd encouraged Jerome to get a little taste of the icing on his birthday cake, which he did and said, “That’s good.”
Being able to celebrate this milestone with their dad was special said Ann and Martha added it was “stunning, it’s awesome. You know, 100 is a big deal.”
For the family celebration, Jeff Ward said family would be flying in from all over as Martha Ward noted that they would be coming from Washington state, Oregon, Louisiana and Alabama, and they were looking forward to it with the party continuing for at least a month, she said with a smile.
