Orlando woman celebrates 100th birthday
ORLANDO, Fla. - An Orlando woman marked a milestone this month, celebrating her 100th birthday.
While her physical mobility and vision are limited, according to family members, Ina “Wilhelmina” Ashman is described as a centenarian who is "independent in basic functions" and "can still get around."
Ashman was born on February 17, 1920, in southeast Jamaica, to Alice Lewis and William Jones. She was the last of eight children raised on a large farm with crops ranging from pineapples to corn and similar vegetables. She dropped out in elementary school to help her father and family on that farm.
Ashman married twice, raising three children: a daughter, a son, and a stepson. She has remained a widow since 1968 but has served as a church leader, homemaker, mother, and grandmother over the past five decades.
Friends and family say she enjoys spending her days watching The Price Is Right, Ellen, Family Feud, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and the local news.
Her son and stepson are now deceased but is joined in her birthday celebration by her daughter and a multitude of grandchildren who have grown up "under her stern and loving hand," they say.
The family will officially celebrate her birthday on Sunday, February 23.