BEDFORD HEIGHTS, Ohio — A member of the Greatest Generation celebrated a century of life. 

But, for JC May, it was just another day. 

“But I know it’s a different day,” he said. 

He celebrated his 100th birthday May 4, and family and friends gathered for a party May 7 at the Mediterranean Party Center in Bedford Heights. 

What You Need To Know

  • JC May celebrated his 100th birthday on May 4
  • Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb declared May 7 "JC May Day" as family and friends gathered to commemorate the occasion
  • May served on the front lines of World War II and worked for General Motors in northeast Ohio nearly 40 years

Bedford Heights Mayor Fletcher Berger told the crowd in attendance they were witnessing a miracle as he listed off some of May’s accomplishments, which included landing in Casablanca to serve in World War II. 

“I was with [Generals] MacArthur and Patton,” May said. “We all got our training together in Arkansas. We went overseas together.”

May served with a combat unit as a noncommissioned officer in the Army and delivered supplies to the front lines. 

“We landed in North Africa, May 10, 1942,” he said. “Walking over dead people like sticks.”

He moved to Cleveland when he returned to the states after the war and said he moved the rest of his family to Ohio with him to offer a better life than what they had in Mississippi. 

Because of his decades spent in the city and contributions to the country, Mayor Justin Bibb declared May 7, 2022, as “JC May Day” in Cleveland. 

At the event, the VFW also presented May with an American flag in appreciation of his service and students sent cards and letters thanking him for answering the call of duty. 

Betty Hines, a family friend, coordinated all the honors and well-wishes.

“Now tell me, who will be turning 100?” Hines said. “That’s the magic word. Everybody I called, once I said that this man is turning 100, I get a response right away.”

Even from the White House, she said. 

All the recognition is well-deserved, she said, for someone she calls a unique young man. 

“If you see his house, you would not believe it,” she said. “He keeps everything nice and clean. His garage, you could eat on the floor. That’s how nice and clean it is. He’s a very remarkable person.”

Three of May’s sisters are also still living out of the family of 11 siblings. 

“God has truly blessed us,” said Flora May Brooks, his younger sister. “And I’m so grateful.”

May said there’s no secret to a long life. 

“I try to live right, eat right and do right,” he said. “That’s the only thing I know. I been like that for the last 100 years.”

And he said he’s looking forward to more celebrations like this to come. 

“I think it’s great,” he said. “It’s one of the greatest things I’ve had so far. I never dreamed this would happen, you know, but I’m very happy.”