Photo by Sam Yu Marguerite Snyder, center, turned 102 on Wednesday and had a celebration at the Golden Living Center in Frederick, where she is a resident. Helping to celebrate and holding a birthday cake are Michael Roles, executive director of the center, and Snyder’s sister, Lola Oberman of Bethesda.

On Wednesday, she turned 102.

A big family celebration with her sister, brother-in-law, and other family and friends is set for today.

Snyder lived in Knoxville until she was 94. Eight years ago, she broke her hip and moved into a nursing home. Snyder's sister, Lola Oberman, 93, and her husband, Ted, drove to Golden Living Center in Frederick from their home in Bethesda to visit Snyder on her birthday. They will host Snyder's party this weekend.

The nursing home had a party and cake for Snyder on Wednesday. At the party, Snyder was quite happy to speak about her life.

Snyder and her husband, John, moved to Knoxville in 1969. Before that, they bought 42 acres on old U.S. 340 West. The couple put a trailer on the property until they could build their retirement home. "We planned the house the way we wanted," she said. They could see three states from their home.

At the time, U.S. 340 was being rerouted, which left the Snyders' road without a name. The highway department asked residents for suggestions. "I suggested Keep Tryst Road," Snyder said.

It was the name of a farm of one of the early settlers in the area, which is known as Pleasant Valley. Neighbors agreed, and Keep Tryst Road was adopted. The name stands today.

Snyder, her five sisters and brother grew up in rural Illinois. A brother in Florida and Lola Oberman are the only surviving siblings. Snyder graduated from Western Illinois Teachers College in Macomb, Ill., and came to Washington in 1930 to work for the U.S. Census Bureau.

The nursing home recently had some 2010 census workers visit Snyder, and they compared notes. Snyder came back to Washington in 1934 to work for the Public Roads Administration. She met her husband that year, and they married in 1935.

Her husband, who was from Chicago, worked for the Home Owners' Loan Corporation, a New Deal program.

After World War II, he spent two years in the South Pacific, and went to work at the Pentagon upon his return and worked there until he retired in the early 1970s. The couple had no children. John Snyder died in 2001.

On their 42 acres, the Snyders raised cattle, and had many cats and dogs. "I had a garden, and my husband mowed the property," she said. "He built fences. We had help, of course."

The property also featured a variety of birds, including a flock of wild turkeys.

Oberman recounted how her sister researched the family history.

Snyder wrote a book, "The Steffeys in America." Steffey was the family name. "She went to Germany to find where the family originated," Oberman said.

"That has formed the background for young members of the family to do more genealogical research," she said. "They now have the benefit of the Internet. But she did it the hard way, going to libraries and cemeteries."

The family's earliest American ancestor served at Valley Forge, and was the catalyst for Snyder's entry into the Daughters of the American Revolution. Snyder was also a member of the League of Women Voters in Washington.

In Washington, the couple lived in Southeast, in a home they had built. They had a view of the Capitol.

Snyder loved living in their rural retirement retreat. "We were country people," she said. When she moved out of her house, she donated her property to the Nature Conservancy, which sold the property to fund its programs.