Arlington resident Cozette Washington turns 100 today (Wednesday) and hasn’t wasted a second.
Washington was born in Bayonne, N.J. on Sept. 24, 1925. At the time, clothes were washed on scrub boards and the radio was new, her granddaughter, Kamilla Scott, told ARLnow.
“Her century of life reflects resilience and history,” Scott said.
Cozette Washington was married to Miles S. Washington Jr. for 67 years. He was one of the original Tuskegee Airmen and the two met during a wartime blackout, Scott said.
Cozette Washington traveled with her husband internationally throughout his career until his retirement as a Lieutenant Colonel. Miles Washington died in 2013.
At a ceremony at Joint Base Meyer-Henderson Hall in 2013, Sgt. Maj. Earlene Lavender praised Cozette’s service alongside her husband.
“You both served together,” Lavender said, according to a release. “And I thank you on behalf of the Military District of Washington Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Michael Linnington, and the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Commander, Col. Fern O. Sumpter.”
Throughout her life, Washington has lived in California, Texas, Kansas, France and Germany, but calls Arlington home.
“[She] traveled extensively through the United States and Europe,” Scott said.
Washington also worked in public television at WETA and as a comptroller for Sen. Ted Kennedy.
In 1989, Washington fulfilled a dream of opening a greeting card store — The Paper Trail — at Union Station. It remained open until 2009.
When she wasn’t working, Washington was a volunteer nurse’s aid and a Boy Scout den mother.
According to her granddaughter Kamilla:
I’ll always remember my grandmother helping me lace up my ice skates as a kid. She would take me every week for my figure skating classes, and we would have dinner after. My first job at 14 was at her store (The Paper Trail)… she’s taught me a lot about determination and how much someone can accomplish in life, especially given all that she has overcome in life. She never let anything slide. She was truly born to be a leader and I can only hope to be half of who she is.
The centenarian, who wore a sash reading “100 & fabulous” today, has a son and daughter, and two grandchildren.
“Believe in God,” Washington relayed to ARLnow via her daughter. “I’ve believed in God my whole life! And enjoy your life.”
