The last living charter member of Blackshear’s Emmanuel Baptist Church, Robert Westberry celebrated 103 years of life Friday, March 7, a day before his official birthday.
Approximately 80 people, including, friends, family, guests, residents and staff filled the room to wish Westberry a very happy 103rd birthday. Before residents and then guests dug into the abundance of food, Deacon Tommy Lloyd of Emmanuel said the blessing, which was appropriate given Westberry’s longstanding ties to that house of worship.
“I helped build that first church and it’s been growing ever since,” said Westberry with a note of pride, eyes lively and his mind still sharp.
The future Deacon Emeritus of Emmanuel was born in Blackshear in 1922 in a house on Strickland Ave. Described by Westberry as the last house just inside the city limits, he was one of five siblings. Like the other charter members of Emmanuel, his brothers and sisters are now gone. Only Westberry remains, but to judge by the turnout for his birthday celebration and the glowing words of praise for him, he is well loved.
“He’s a jack-of-alltrades who can do anything,” says Wanda Strickland, Westberry’s niece.
Malcolm Westberry, Westberry’s nephew, drove down from Newnan to attend the celebration. He said of Westberry, “He’s sort of a father figure to all the Westberry first cousins who have lost their parents. And not just the Westberrys: Walkers, Kellers, Lloyds and others— families that have been tied together for years.”
Family friends Buford and Gail Hancock were also present for the celebration. “My daddy and him were good friends,” said Mrs. Hancock. “He is one of the sweetest men that you could ever imagine.”
When asked about changing times or things he might see on the news, Westberry said, “There’s not much new to me.” He said it with a chuckle, making it tricky to tell if he means himself physically or that not much suprises him about world events.
“Brother Robert Westberry has faithfully served the Lord at Emmanuel Baptist Church for more than 70 years. Being the remaining charter member of the church, he has been a part of the congregation since its inception in 1953,” said the Rev. Jerad Johnson, Associate Pastor at Emmanuel Baptist. “It was an honor to gather with his family and friends to celebrate his 103rd birthday. Seeing someone serve the Lord for such a long time is a demonstration to the younger generations of faithfulness and commitment, something we can definitely learn well from Robert Westberry.”
Westberry is the widower of the late Agnes Walker Westberry and they were the parents of Linda Gail Dennison.
Westberry has two grandchildren, Ian (Marie) Dennison and Karla (Richard) Harris and three great-grandchildren, Cade Dennison, Chloe Dennison and Jarrett Harris.
The Times wishes Mr. Westberry a heartfelt happy birthday and apologizes for the unfortunate error in last week’s edition that only printed half of the article commemorating his 103rd year.
Westberry
