Celebrating Birthdays and Friendship at "The Office"

The birthday boys and girls beamed as their friends from "The Office" celebrated their birth anniversaries with a festive party of no presents and no talk of age on Greenberrys patio Friday morning.

"You can't have enough celebrations for at our age you can't have too much," said birthday girl Sue Christie. "Any excuse to party."

The Office is a shifting group of retirees that convenes daily at Greenberrys coffee shop in downtown McLean, for an hour of coffee, companionship, and compassion. Every other month they hold a birthday party for their members.

 Stephanie Brunhofer, Mike Hall, Bob Callen (a diehard Boston Red Sox fan), Hans Andersen, Marsha McClean, Denise Garbis, aka “Yia Yai, Greek for grandma, and Christie  celebrated with about  25 "Office" members at The McLean social event of the morning.

"We all started as strangers and now we are friends and family to each other," said Garbis. "Blessings and cheers to Jack High for bringing us together."

Then she proposed a toast to High and "Philly" Joe. Jack High, a long-timeand beloved McLean resident,  founded The Office to make folks feel welcome and give them a pathway to camraderie in their retirement years. Jack died of cancer in December 2009. The Office held a special birthday celebration in his memory May 1, 2010.

Joe Selmer, better known as "Philly Joe" , another Office member, died in two months ago after a short illness.  Stephanie Brunhofer is his daughter.

"It's one more birthday and it's a great way to celebrate because anonymous birthdays are the best --- there are no numbers on the cake," said Mike Hall, one of the celebrated.

"Lady Edna" Loop who was feted by the Office at her own  special 91st birthday party in April wrote a special poem for the birthday celebration in praise of The Office. She recited it to much applause.

"An usual everyone contributed," said "Office" manager Pam Lucey looking over what was left of the homemade peanut better fingers and the the lemon cake.