The dulcet tones of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” plays as a backdrop to a video sent to a Lakeside Village resident who couldn’t celebrate her 90th birthday with her family, due to COVID-19 visitation restrictions.

Carroll County native Phyllis Schweers has lived at the Panora-based retirement home for 2.5 years, and had planned a big celebration for her milestone birthday on March 22nd, which unfortunately had to be postponed to ensure the health and safety of herself and other residents. Though that didn’t stop her family from wishing her a happy birthday, as her grandson Aaron Pieper along with other grandchildren and great-grandchildren sent her a video filled with birthday wishes and treasured memories.

Pieper stated that he can’t wait to give his Nana a big hug once the pandemic has diminished, “Happy 90th grandma. As long as I can remember you’ve been a light in our family. Thank you for so many great memories from sleepovers at the farm, to picking (us) up in an old yellow stick shift van packed full of kids to go swimming at Yellow Smoke (Park). And you always being an encouraging voice to anyone you meet.”

Schweers shares how she reacted to the video, “Well, I had a few tears and I felt pretty proud of them, I’ll tell ya.”

With the help of Lakeside Village staff Schweers even sent a video greeting back to her family thanking them for their surprise. She looks forward to having a belated birthday party, but in the meantime she’s kept busy at her residence, where she especially enjoys working in their flower room.