MANSFIELD — Annette Albright celebrated her 90th birthday on Valentine’s Day the same way she has marked the occasion for decades — by giving a gift to someone else.

For years Albright has delivered a teddy bear and card to the first baby girl born on Valentine’s Day at OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital, quietly sharing her birthday with a stranger.

A tradition born from kindness

Albright never planned the tradition. She simply followed her heart and did what she said felt right.

“You know, I don’t know, it seemed like the thing to do,” Albright said. “It was fun. I enjoyed doing it for no reason at all.

“This is something I always look forward to.”

She delivers the gift to nurses rather than presenting it herself. She has never wanted recognition for it.

“I would like to see the baby, but I don’t need to know who they are and they don’t need to know who I am,” she added. “I give the gift to the nurses and don’t go to the maternity ward at all.”

The card explains the reason behind the gift. Albright tells the family she shares her Valentine’s Day birthday with their daughter.

Being a mom of four girls, Albright added words of encouragement for new parents.

“You’re getting a precious gift, enjoy them and help them come along in life,” Albright said.

One memory still makes her smile reflecting on the past years. Accompanied by her best friend to deliver the gift, they unexpectedly ran into the grandma of the baby girl.

“She said she was shopping for baby clothes for her daughter who had just had a baby girl,” Albright added. “She told us they wondered why she (the newborn baby girl) was getting this gift.

“That was funny.”

A quiet legacy comes to a close

Albright has continued the tradition for decades. Her daughters believe she started in her 50s, but Albright believes she began much earlier.

She always wanted to help things succeed. That was just her.

Venus Breinich, Albright’s daughter

This year marked the end of her tradition.

“It’s fun to do, I enjoy it, but this was my last year,” Albright said. “We’ll see what happens next year.”

Even as she steps away from this tradition, her quiet acts of kindness have left a lasting mark on generations of families.

Raising four daughters of her own, Albright stayed deeply involved in their lives. She served as a Girl Scout leader and supported every activity they pursued.

Her daughters, Dayna Adamescu and Venus Breinich, were not always aware of this special birthday celebration their mother did over the years.

“I don’t think it was really until we were shopping, and we were like, ‘Why are you buying that bear?’ that she actually told us what she’d been doing all these years anonymously,” Adamescu said.

Adamescu and Breinich both have children of their own.

Breinich said while their boys don’t pay too much attention, their daughters have tagged along in the past to pick out the bear.

“They get a kick out of helping her get ready for it,” Breinich said.

Albright’s daughter says ‘That was just her’

While Valentine’s Day is a celebration for many, Albright’s family always made sure to keep it extra special for her.

“Even us getting our kids Valentine cards or candy — we just put it in a bag and took it to mom’s to give after she opened her presents,” Breinich said. “It was kind of all in one.”

Adamescu noted this perfectly showcases how their mother has always thought of somebody else and their needs.

“Even now where she’s at, she’s helping other people,” Adamescu said. “For her age, she gets along quite well. So, she’s helping people in her community get along with things they do and get settled.”

“She always wanted to help things succeed,” Breinich said. “That was just her.”

Families who have received a gift from Albright in the past can reach out to her by sending a note to Primrose Retirement at 1301 Millsboro Road with attention to Annette Albright.

(Photos of Annette Albright dropping off her gift and the first baby girl born on Valentine’s Day, Adaline Baldner. Photos provided by OhioHealth Mansfield.)

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