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Family, friends celebrate Kitty Cole’s 100th birthday

Moved to beach town from Harrington as a teenager, has lived on Olive Avenue for 70 years
With at least three generations of family members behind her, Kitty T. Cole (seated, second from left) celebrates her 100th birthday July 7. Shown sitting with Cole are (l-r) son Charlie Cole, son Neil Cole, son George Cole and sister Anne Lynam. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTOS
Chris Flood
July 11, 2023

Story Location:
Olive Avenue
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
United States

Rehoboth Beach resident Kitty T. Cole celebrated her 100th birthday with friends and family July 7.

Cole was born in Georgetown July 7, 1923, but moved to Rehoboth Beach as a young teenager. There were brief periods of her life where she didn’t live downtown, but she’s always summered in Rehoboth and has lived in the same house on Olive Avenue for the past 70 years.

As a teenager, her home was on Rehoboth Avenue, located where the M&T Bank is today. Cole attended high school on Rehoboth Avenue until the 11th grade. The building was located where the post office is now, and the bricks on the porch of Cole’s Olive Avenue home are from the school.

In addition to the birthday celebration, Rehoboth Beach officials issued a proclamation last month stating that July 7 would be known as Kitty T. Cole Day in Rehoboth Beach. To mark the occasion, the marquee in front of city hall announced the special day to everyone who drove down Rehoboth Avenue.

 

Kitty Cole sits with her 89-year-old sister Anne Lynam, who also lives in Rehoboth Beach. Between the two, they’ve lived in Rehoboth for nearly 150 years.
A good-sized crowd begins to gather for Kitty’s 100th birthday party.
The city celebrated Cole’s birthday with this sign on the marquee in front of city hall on Rehoboth Avenue.
Rehoboth Beach celebrated the milestone July 7 by recognizing it as Kitty T. Cole Day.

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Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.

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