Eugene Bishop, a World War II veterinarian in Maryland, celebrates her 100th birthday

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Eugene Bishop attended his 100th birthday party like a celebrity arriving on the red carpet on Friday. He emerged from a gray Porsche driven by his friend and wore a clean white collar shirt, a Navy pinstripes suit, and a US baseball cap. His relatives offered to take him out of the car, but he politely refused to help. He has done much of his 100-year life, so Bishop preferred to do things his own way.

“Hello,” he stepped into a party at the Hillcrest Heights, Maryland ballroom and headed for Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday.” “Dr. Bishop is coming.”

A World War II veteran (called “Doc” because his family says he can fix almost anything) celebrated his 100th anniversary Friday, surrounded by dozens of family and friends. .. The bishop has a great many descendants — 11 children, dozens of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren — his family has stopped counting.

When Bishop has taken lessons with him over the last century, the most important thing is to put faith first and try to do good.

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Bishop was born and raised in the small town of Bishopville, South Carolina. I have never met her father. He died before Bishop was born, and his mother died when he was a teenager. He was raised primarily by his grandfather. Bishop said his grandfather was a preacher and taught him the importance of church and religion. He attended church every Sunday.

He worked as a peasant for most of his young life and dropped out of school before finishing his third grade. Later, his love for gardening led to his long career in landscaping. Within his family he is known for being able to grow anything.

It was a good life, Bishop said. But her eldest daughter, Geneva Bishop, said she rarely shared her struggle with her family. The peasant was a tough job without much reward, she said, but he was always able to support his family.

“My dad had to learn a lot on his own,” she said. “But he was always working and he was always working. I think it’s amazing for someone who isn’t as educated as he is.”

He met his future wife, Rosa Mavishop, in church. Their marriage was not always easy — the two faced Rosa May’s disapproved parents and moved from South Carolina to Washington, DC to help raise their grandchildren together, Geneva said. But until Rosa May died in 1983, they stayed on each other’s side.

He said Bishop volunteered to serve in World War II in 1942. He was worried about leaving his family, but he felt compelled to go. He worked abroad in Okinawa, mainly in the kitchen, but he also worked as a munitions officer and a prison guard.

The family moved to DC in 1953, said Geneva, 74. They moved home frequently as their families grew up. Bishop currently lives in Temple Hills, Maryland, with one of her daughters, Comirer Branson.

“We were happy,” Geneva said. “We were so many that we got stuck together …. it was amazing.”

Bishops have a strong presence in children’s lives, both fun and difficult. Branson vividly remembers that when his eldest son, Arthur, was born with spinal meningitis, Bishop was by the hospital and prayed to his son, reassuring him that he was okay.

Arthur now has a particularly close relationship with his grandfather. Bishop taught Arthur how to drive, the importance of diligence, and the value of his faith. Bishop refused to let Arthur help with the landscaping and instead told him “for the book.”

Asking one of his grandchildren, they would say that the greatest lesson they learned from Bishop was his patience and his steady faith.

“He taught you that anything is possible,” said another grandson, Brandon Cornelius Bishop.

And Bishop is happy to celebrate the life of the first century, surrounded by six surviving children and dozens of beloved families. Probably anything.

“I’ve done that,” said the former peasant and soldier. “I made it 100.”