REEDLEY – Five generations came together to celebrate and reflect on the life of Reedley’s newest centenarian.
On July 5, nearly 50 family members gathered at Palm Village Retirement Community to celebrate the 100th birthday of Reeves Hart. The day was filled with reunions, laughter and a reflective look into family history.
“I look back and it’s been good,” Hart said. “I’ve lived a good life, so I thank the lord.”
The celebration kicked off with a grand entrance from Hart into the party room, adorned with a tiara and a 100th birthday sash. Relatives waved and clapped as she was nestled into her spot at a table.
After an opening prayer, guests lined up for food and introduced new members of the family to Hart. Partners, children and grandchildren waited their turn to share a special moment with the family’s eldest matriarch.
Hart’s daughter, Millie Largent, acted as the emcee for the celebration, giving a presentation on Hart’s life experiences and what she has meant to the family.
“The woman described in Proverbs is valuable, industrious, she manages her household, and she exhibits strength and dignity,” Largent said in her presentation. “All of these qualities are based on her devotion to god, those qualities are true of Reeves Hart.”
Hart was born on July 4, 1925 in Davy, West Virginia. She married her husband Woody at 16, and following his discharge from the military in the aftermath of World War II, they decided to start a life in California.
Largent described her family’s experience growing up poor, but noted that through faith and sacrifice they always had what they needed. Largent cites her mother’s faith, hard-working nature and commitment to education as what got them through life’s hardships.
Wanting the best for herself and her children, Hart fought for her kids to go to church and for herself to go back to school despite her husband’s reluctance.
“He did not want me to go to school or work, but I did,” Hart told Largent before the party. “I’m happy that we got along as we did. He was hard to live with, and wanted his way, so I had to change that around a little bit.”
Hart got her driver’s license at age 36 to be able to get herself around, and kept her fire alive through her fifties by finishing 10th grade at an adult school. She then furthered her education even more by completing a licensed vocational nurse program, a dream that she held for years.
Hart has lived in various Valley communities in her time, including Fresno, Easton, Hanford and eventually Reedley. She worked at Twilight Haven, a senior assisted living community in Fresno, for over 20 years before retiring to take care of her husband when he fell ill.
Hart has lived with a life of passion and perseverance, and looks back on all that she’s achieved and created with earned pride.
“God loves me and had a purpose for me, and I hope I’ve fulfilled it,” Largent quoted Hart during the presentation. “I have had a good life. I loved working, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this article was updated on July 9, 2025 at 4:52 p.m. pst to correct that it was five generations of Reeve Hart’s family in attendance of her birthday celebration.
