Violet Kresge, a resident of The Village at Palmerton, recently celebrated her 93rd birthday recently.

She was born Nov. 27, 1919 in Fall River, Mass., in the early morning hours of Thanksgiving Day. She says with a smile, "I guess I changed my mother's dinner plans for sure!"Her family moved to Connecticut where she lived until joining the Air Force, where she served as a supply clerk.When asked why the Air Force, her reply was simple."My brothers had both died before I came along," she said, "and there was no one in my family to serve our country. So I decided to serve for them."Violet met her husband while in the Air Force, at a coffeehouse.While there, her friend's boyfriend stopped in for coffee and introduced Violet to Floyd "Reds" Kresge. They dated for several months, and decided to marry before he was discharged home.The Air Force schedule didn't allow them time to fly back home to marry, so they were married in the chapel on Bradley Airfield.Eventually Violet was discharged and the couple started their life together in West Bowmans, where they raised their daughter, Karen.They later retired to Palmerton. They traveled quite a bit with a group of seniors on bus trips.Violet and her husband were regulars at the card and bingo games at the Palmerton Ambulance Building.Although her eyesight doesn't allow card playing like the old days, she and her husband still play bingo every chance they get.