HAPPY 100th
BIRTHDAY TO YOU
Forget the Eulogy
What separated Betty White from her 100th birthday? Seventeen days.
A special book titled Happy 100th Birthday to You had been originally planned for release in 2022 to coincide with Betty's centennial celebration but with the news that she passed peacefully on New Year's Eve 2021, publication was respectfully postponed. The book is now set for release in 2025, thoughtfully aligned with the U.S. Postal Service's Forever stamp honoring the beloved actress.
When the World Plans Your 100th Birthday Celebration
The entertainment industry had been preparing for months to honor Betty's 100th birthday with unprecedented fanfare but Betty would not reach the century milestone. Betty Marion White had already made history countless times over as a pioneering television host, groundbreaking producer, and beloved actress who had shattered barriers and redefined what it meant to age gracefully in Hollywood.
People magazine had completed a special commemorative issue, featuring Betty on the cover in a radiant photo shoot that captured her timeless spirit. The tribute chronicled her extraordinary journey from radio pioneer in the 1940s to television icon, showcasing rare photographs and intimate interviews with co-stars who had become family.
Entertainment Weekly had commissioned a collector's edition tracing her remarkable evolution from her early breakthrough as producer and star of "Life with Elizabeth" through her Emmy-winning performance as Sue Ann Nivens on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," to her beloved portrayal of Rose Nylund on "The Golden Girls," and her scene-stealing role as sharp-tongued Elka Ostrovsky on "Hot in Cleveland."
Hollywood was developing a major documentary to premiere around her birthday, featuring final interviews with Betty alongside tributes from comedy legends Carol Burnett, former co-stars, and entertainment industry luminaries. The film would have highlighted not only her professional achievements but her lifelong dedication to animal welfare, a passion that had driven her philanthropic efforts for over seven decades.
Television networks had planned extensive programming tributes for the woman who had touched millions of lives with her infectious humor and genuine warmth. TV Land was preparing a week-long Betty White marathon featuring her most memorable performances and guest appearances. NBC was developing a prime-time special that would have united stars from multiple generations to celebrate the woman who helped define television comedy for eight decades.
Even though Betty never saw her 100th birthday, all this planning meant something beautiful: her celebration could still happen. The love, the preparation, the thoughtfulness created a lasting gift that honored her life and brought joy to millions who mourned her. In 2025, the United States Postal Service honored Betty White with a Forever stamp, featuring her iconic Golden Girls-era grin—a reminder that her laughter and kindness continue traveling the world.
The stamp itself became a symbol of how celebration transcends presence. Every letter mailed, every package sent carries Betty's smile to new destinations, spreading joy in the most ordinary moments. Her centennial celebration didn't require her physical attendance to be meaningful. The documentaries aired, the magazine tributes were published, and fans around the world shared their favorite Betty White memories. The planning had created a framework for honoring a life well-lived, proving that the act of preparation itself becomes a gift to those left behind.
This is the profound lesson Betty's story teaches us about celebration planning: when we take time to envision our milestone moments, we're not just organizing events—we're creating roadmaps for love. We're giving the people who care about us a blueprint for honoring our lives, whether we're present to witness it or not. The very act of planning becomes an expression of hope, connection, and the belief that our lives matter enough to be celebrated.
Happy 100th Birthday to You is a joyful invitation to plan, honor, and celebrate the century mark with meaning, humor, and love. Whether you're preparing for your own 100th or honoring someone you cherish, this book provides inspiration for making that once-in-a-lifetime occasion unforgettable.
Not Everyone Has Hollywood Planning Their 100th Birthday
Betty had teams of producers, publicists, and networks gearing up for her 100th. Most of us don't. That's why this book matters. It's both a tribute to Betty and a guide to dreaming, designing, and delighting in the biggest birthday of them all—whether for yourself or someone you love.
Betty's story shows us what's possible when we plan celebrations with intention and love. Happy 100th Birthday to You is a joyful invitation to plan, honor, and celebrate the century mark with meaning, humor, and love. Whether you're preparing for your own 100th or honoring someone you cherish, this book provides inspiration for making that once-in-a-lifetime occasion unforgettable.
Not everyone will reach 100. For those who do, the milestone represents more than candles on a cake. It represents endurance, wisdom, and the love of a community that gathers to mark the achievement. But here's what Betty's story teaches us: the planning itself becomes a gift to those who love you.
When you take the time to envision your 100th birthday celebration, you're creating something precious for the people who care about you. You're giving them a roadmap for honoring your life, whether you're there to see it or not. The magazines that planned Betty's commemorative issues, the networks that prepared special programming, the documentarians who gathered final interviews — they all had something meaningful to work with because Betty had lived a life worth celebrating.
Your celebration planning becomes a love letter to your future self and to those who will gather in your honor. It shows them what mattered to you, who you wanted to surround yourself with, and how you hoped to be remembered. Most importantly, it ensures that your milestone won't pass unnoticed, regardless of what the future holds.
What if You Planned the Celebration of Your Life While You're Here to Enjoy It?
Betty White may not have turned 100, but she showed us how to get there—with wit, warmth, and just a touch of mischief. And that's exactly the spirit behind Happy 100th Birthday to You.
Most people drift through their days without clear direction. This book uses an unexpected approach: planning your 100th birthday party reveals everything about how you want to live right now. Drawing inspiration from real centenarians like 102-year-old Peter Yurkiw, who stayed curious and sharp until the end, you'll discover practical tools for clarifying what matters.
Sherrie Rose guides you through strengthening relationships that sustain you and making choices aligned with reaching 100 healthy and fulfilled. Whether you're 35 or 75, this approach helps you live with intention. Your 100th birthday celebration planning becomes the organizing principle for a life of substance, connection, and joy.
This book uses planning your big celebration to discover how to live with more intention and for examining your present choices. Your 100th birthday party becomes about becoming someone who's worth celebrating. You'll learn to surround yourself with friends who elevate you, share kind words while you can hear them, and imagine yourself as the person you want to become.
When you plan for 100, you're not just organizing a party. You're designing a life that leads somewhere meaningful. You're becoming your future self today.
"A great read for your masterplan to live life to the fullest. This book should be in everyone's library."
Forget The Eulogy
Instead of imagining what others might say about you when you're gone, you plan the celebration of your life while you're here to enjoy it. Forget the eulogy. Start planning your party. The process transforms how you see your present choices and future possibilities.
In reply to the book release of Happy 100th Birthday To You: (𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘂𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆), Kristen wrote: I attended a leadership workshop with Doug Conant, a former CEO of Campbells soup, and he had us go through an exercise of writing our own obituary to get clear on our values and goals.
My response to Kristen: That’s a great connection. The eulogy exercise is a classic used by coaches. Eulogies use death and finality (fear based), asking, “What will people say when I’m gone?” Looking back with regret is weak.
With 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝟭𝟬𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗧𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂: (Forget the Eulogy) the focus is it flipped: 100th Birthday is vitality and vision, it asks, “What would I love to be celebrating when I turn 100?” That shift, envisioning your fullest life and who you are sharing it with, moves people from anxiety about death to excitement about possibility and living fully with longevity. Living forward with intention is very powerful!
Planning your 100th birthday party becomes a creative tool for intentional living. This celebration book blends philosophy with creative life design, to clarify your priorities and live a life worth celebrating for 100 years. Think Marcus Aurelius meets modern living.
Author Sherrie Rose presents methods and tools to craft both your life story and your celebration plan. Instead of drifting toward an uncertain future, you create a clear vision of who you want to become and how you want to be celebrated.
Stop writing your obituary. Imagine the celebration. Make the big plan.
GIFT FOR VALUED READERS
(download gift here)Thank you for your purchase of the 100th Birthday Book!
Stories of 100 Birthday Honor Members
Check out the 100 Birthday Honor Roll
Meet Sherrie Rose, Author
Sherrie Rose guides clients to bring their decades of experience and defining achievements to life: “Between livelihood and legacy, that's Masterwork.™”
In 2021, she shifted focus, creating the enhavim framework. Sherrie serves high-achievers and legacy-focused leaders become ultra-contributors directed by purpose and mission through vision (enhavim).
As Chief Legacy Officer and Masterwork Advisor, she helps individuals and organizations using AI-enabled digital preservation to create legacy worthy endeavors marked by sharing and genuine care for others' growth and fulfillment.
She has authored several books, founded Masterwork360, volunteers with TEDxSanDiego, and mentors at a transformative learning academy.
Sherrie Rose's personal motto: “The Real Currency is Relationship Riches.”