Family shows love to Life Care resident on her birthday Beatrice “Bea” Colvett turned 89 on Friday

A glass barrier may keep out viruses, but it definitely doesn’t stop love from coming through.
The family of Beatrice “Bea” Colvett proved that Friday afternoon as they gathered outside her window at Life
Care Center in Bruceton to show their love and wish her a happy birthday.
A Huntingdon native and widow of the late Onnie Lee Colvett, Mrs. Bea, as many call her, turned 89 on Friday.
She has lived at Life Care for the past five years.
At first, Mrs. Bea watched curiously from her window as members of her large family started assembling in the
parking lot, but once everyone had arrived, they all went to stand outside her window, some holding up signs and
some holding balloons.
With the help of cellphones, the family sang a rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday to You” as Mrs. Bea held the
phone to her ear.
One by one, her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren each told her “happy birthday” and that they
loved her over the phone, and she said “I love you” right back.
And, truth be told, Mrs. Bea got a little teary-eyed as she looked at her family’s faces and listened to their voices.
But like so many residents of nursing home and assisted living facilities across the country, direct physical contact
with loved ones has been cut off for the time being due to the dangers posed by the coronavirus pandemic,
particularly when it comes to the elderly.
And while Mrs. Bea couldn’t give them all a hug, they were all definitely feeling the love.
“It’s good to see you all,” she told them over the phone. “I’ve been stuck in a cage.”
Coming out to see Mrs. Bea on Friday were her daughter, Andrea Biggart, and her husband, Doug; son, Kelly, and
his wife, Paula; grandchildren, Burton, Ben, and Anna Colvett, and Elizabeth Biggart; and great-grandchildren,
Preston, Caiden, and Casen Biggart. Casen was the youngest there at age three.