Congratulations, Esther
Kirby Neumann-Rea

Friends gather around Esther Yarnell on March 4, the 95th birthday one of Hood River’s most durable bowlers. League action at Orchard Lanes stopped as dozens of bowlers presented gifts and sang “Happy Birthday” to Yarnell. “I figured they’d do something but I didn’t think they’d do all this!” Yarnell said. Asked what enables her to keep throwing strikes at age 95, Yarnell said, “I just started bowling more than 50 years ago and never stopped.” She recently averaged 170 in a three-game series. Her Go Granny Go team surprised her with a cake and a cup (filled with money) created by trophy maker Mary Neville. (“I dug into the box hoping to come up with a ‘95’ and there it was!” Neville said.)