Somerford Place Celebrates Chloe Irby's 105th Birthday

On March 6 at 2 p.m., Somerford Place Alzheimer's Assisted Living will be throwing a birthday party for their oldest resident, Chloe Irby, who is celebrating her 105th birthday. She will be honored by her family, friends and representatives from the offices of Congressman Pete Aguilar, Assemblyman Marc Steinorth and State Senator Mike Morrell. All who come to celebrate with Irby are encouraged to don her favorite color: pink. Born in New Jersey on March 8, 1910, Irby and her husband, Charles Henry Irby II, were married in 1929, at the beginning of the Great Depression. Her husband served in the United States Navy's SeaBees during WWII, while Irby herself worked for the War Department Publications. After the war, Irby worked in the book publishing industry and later for XEROX Corporation. After retiring from XEROX, Irby became a fan of opera, and became a member of the New York Metropolitan Opera Guild. While there, she served on a panel that selected potential music students for further studies in the opera field. She was even a personal friend of the great Australian operatic soprano Joan Sutherland. Southerland and Irby traveled worldwide together, visiting such places as Australia and Europe. Irby loved traveling, also visiting East Africa, the Fiji Islands and all 50 states in the United States. Irby lived most of her retirement years in Portland, Ore., where she became a member of the Portland City Opera Guild. She moved to California so she could remain close to her son, Charles Henry Irby III, her three grandchildren and her five great-grandchildren, moving into Somerford Place in 2010. Somerford Place is located at 1319 Brookside Avenue in Redlands.