It’s a birthday that not many get to experience.

Myron “Zeke” Degenhardt turns 100 years old Monday, so his buddies put together the surprise of a lifetime. 

Pauline Stone, a friend of Zeke’s, told him she would pick him up around 3 p.m. Sunday for their usual birthday dinner.

“I’ve taken him out the last 2 or 3 years for his birthdays,” so when he was 97, 98, 99,” Stone said. “So I called him, and I said, ‘Myron I said I’m going to take you out for your 100th birthday. I’m going to pick you up at your house.'”

What Zeke didn’t know was that Pauline had planned a convoy of motorcycles with a police escort to bring him to dinner. When the convoy showed up at Zeke’s house, he was overwhelmed with surprise and joy as friends filled his yard and driveway to chat and wish him a happy birthday.

 “Oh, it was a surprise, I’ll tell you,” he said. “This is great.  

Zeke was then driven to Penny’s in Plattsburgh in a New York State Police, with all the motorcycles trailed in behind. At Penny’s, they chatted, ate and drank and enjoyed some birthday cake.

Zeke, who has a great sense of humor, told stories and joked with his friends.

“I joined the Seabees, naval construction battalion,” he recounted. “I got sick of working nights at Harris, and so I thought anything would be better than that. And what did I end up doing? Night work in the Navy.”  

Zeke said he worked for 43 years at the Sheraton Iron Vice, and later at Harris Graphics.

“I’ve always wanted to see Alaska,” he said. “So, I bought a new motorcycle and some camping, a new tent, and packed up all my camping gear and stuff, and I went up, riding on the bike to Alaska.    

“I got up there and it started to rain, and it rained every day for a week.”

“Along the way we had a lot of fun,” Zeke said. “We had some bad moments, but not many. “