Everything comes up 7s for Oregon woman's birthday

Bernadine Gehr THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT Enlarge | Photo Reprints

To many, seven is merely the number between six and eight or the number of days in a week. To others, it is "lucky number seven."

For Oregon resident Bernadine Gehr, seven has special significance: The seventh child in her family, she is turning 77 on the seventh day of the seventh month of the year.

Ms. Gehr said she plans to celebrate the day quietly.

Her younger sister Rosemary, 70, took her out to lunch Monday. Tuesday, she attended a monthly meting of a group of friends.

For her birthday Wednesday, her son Tom Gehr and daughter-in-law Debbie Gehr are to be hosts for a turkey dinner at their house in Maumee.

Members of their family are to be there.

Debbie Gehr, 53, said the dinner will feature a cherry-chip birthday cake left over from Independence Day.

At her mother-in-law's half-serious suggestion, she modified the "God Bless the USA" message by scraping off the "USA" and making the cake read "God Bless Grandma Gehr."

According to Debbie Gehr, it is a phrase that is well deserved.

"She is never negative, always positive," she said. "She's one of those people you want your kids to be around."

As to how much luck she has Wednesday, the elder Ms. Gehr might never know the answer.

Mr. Gehr, 50, said he doesn't think his mother plans to play the lottery, because she isn't "the lottery-playing type of person."

Although, he added laughing, "she's lucky to have me as a son."

Her daughter-in-law said she debated taking her mother-in-law to Las Vegas for her birthday to test her lucky sevens, but the plan fell through.

But the elder Ms. Gehr defined her luck somewhat differently.

"I have a loving family," she said. "I guess I am lucky."