Tiaras sparkled atop gray hair as five centenarians sat down to celebrate their birthdays together. Minnie Styles, Sylvia Jones, and Lois Herron, all 102, along with Odessa Bass, 104, and Elaine Jones, 105, parked their wheelchairs next to each other and posed for a photo.

Birthday parties for residents of FutureCare are common, especially when they reach 100. The oldest current resident is 110 and lives at FutureCare Courtland in Pikesville. But it’s rare to have so many centenarians at one location, said Diane Vernon, vice president of business development at FutureCare Lochern in Baltimore. “At many of our facilities we may see one [centenarian]; to have five in one facility is unheard of.”

Activity director Desi Prince-Missouri came up with the idea for a big celebration, complete with black-and-gold balloons and a backdrop for photos.

Many of the residents at FutureCare Lochern are long-term, especially the centenarians, because they need round-the-clock care.

The eldest centenarians, Bass and Elaine Jones, were born during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson, while Styles, Sylvia Jones, and Herron were born during Warren Harding’s administration. From witnessing the inventions of the pop-up toaster, television and the electric guitar, to major events including World War II, Beatlemania and the moon landing, these residents and friends have lived long, colorful lives.

Lois Shirleymae Herron enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1943 as one of the first women in that branch of service. She was born in Duluth, Minnesota, and was stationed in Cherry Point, North Carolina. She met a handsome sailor named Paul and married him after she was discharged. She then lived in California for years before moving to Millersville, in Anne Arundel County, at the age of 87 to be closer to loved ones.

Paula Herron attributes her mother’s longevity to sheer stubbornness and a lifelong competition with her sister, Elaine Johnson, who was several years older and joined the Army at a young age.

“My mother had to beat Elaine, so she joined the Marines, which [she said] was more difficult than the Army,” Paula said. “Marine tenacity and stubbornness — she just keeps on going.”

Elaine Jones, 105, was born in Newport News, Virginia, and has been a Maryland resident since the early 1940s. She loves jokes, chocolate and fashionable hats, and her faith has played a big role in her life — she has attended church for almost 100 years.

Elaine Jones held several jobs through her life. She was a reverend at her church, worked at North Charles General Hospital — coincidentally, now the site of FutureCare Homewood — and was a cafeteria associate at the College of Notre Dame.

Jones’ family said she is always ready with words of wisdom and kindness.

Minnie Styles, 102, is a woman of faith and loved singing in her church choir. In 1969, Styles had a problem to solve — how to get to church. Her husband, who had been driving her, said he wouldn’t continue to go after women at the church hit on him. In May of that year, Styles decided to get a driver’s license and take herself. Styles drove for years until 2000, when she drove through a barricade; the police officer advised her not to drive again at her age, and did not give her a ticket. That was her last day on the road.

Styles was also a gifted and skilled ceramic artist. According to her daughter, Kathleen, Styles picked up the craft the 1980s. She loved making special ceramic pieces that served a purpose, including wash basins, pedestals and an umbrella holder that her daughter brought to the party. But she was also known to make an occasional swan. Styles’ secret to longevity is healthy eating — particularly cereals like Raisin Bran and various fruits.

A short-term FutureCare resident, Styles still lives at her home on Sequoia Avenue. According to her family, she has maintained her health, independence and wonderful sense of humor.

Sylvia Jones, 102, lived on Gilmor street in West Baltimore after moving from Mineral Wells, Texas, in the 1960s when her mother and brother fell ill. In her late 50s, she became the primary caregiver for her brother.

During World War II, a young Jones would cook food and deliver it to neighbors on her bicycle. She also assisted with neighborhood births because she had training as an unofficial midwife.

Odessa Bass, 104, worked at Schroedl Cleaners on Reisterstown Road, retiring at age 80. She was a deaconess at her church, First Corinthian Baptist on Powhatan Avenue in Baltimore, where she would provide food and other essential items for people struggling in her neighborhood and beyond.

According to her family, Bass’s secret to longevity was her ability to love. “She just loves everybody,” said her goddaughter, Alethia. “She has so much love.”

Bass died on November 17.