DeKalb County woman celebrates 100th birthday with surprise party at her church

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A DeKalb County woman had a surprise birthday celebration fit for a queen, complete with her own official proclamation. 

Lillian Kemp Taylor, whose 100th birthday was on May 5, 2022, was the center of a surprise celebration at her church, Beulah Missionary Baptist Church. A line of cars wound around the parking lot as people waited to visit her. 

CEO Michael Thurmond marked the occasion by proclaiming Lillian Kemp Taylor Day in DeKalb County and Commissioner Larry Johnson read the proclamation. 

"God is worthy to be praised for many reasons, and the 100th Birthday of Sister Taylor is certainly one of them," Beulah Senior Pastor Jerry D. Black said in a press release. 

She was married for more than 40 years to Robert Lee Taylor. She moved to Decatur in 1987 and joined her church the following year. 

Taylor spent more than 30 years working in admissions for healthcare facilities. Before that, she saw to running her family's gas station while caring for family.  

She loves her family: her daughter and son-in-law, Demetra and Khamaali Rowan, and her grandchildren, Lauren and Krysta. She has twin great-granddaughters, Rylee and Amirah, who she babysits. 

Taylor loves watching TV and her church’s Saturday night broadcast.