Longboat Key resident celebrates 99th birthday

When you're 99, the party comes to you. 

And come to Stan Horwich it did last week.

The 99-year-old — sporting a T-shirt that said "This is what an awesome 99-year-old looks like" — was never alone at his party on Nov. 5. Friends surrounded him at his table on his birthday all evening, bringing him snacks and well-wishes.

Later in the evening, Horwich was serenaded by Connie Scardelli, a performer who had sung at Beachplace before. 

Horwich is a longtime Longboater and a veteran of World War II. In 2019, he was reconnected with someone from his wartime past when Australian Marilyn Atkinson reached out with a pack of letters her mother had kept from Horwich.