Willard L. Laury saw the end of World War II.

Laury’s lived through wars in Korea and Vietnam. He’s worked as a carpenter apprentice, a laborer at New Jersey Zinc and on the docks of Roadway Express in Tannersville.

He bought acreage in Franklin Township, upon which he built his first, and current, home. He married. He raised two children.

Nowadays, he mostly brags endlessly about his four grandchildren.

Laury’s lived quite a full life over the course of 19 short years.

He isn’t really 19. Besides his salt and pepper speckled hair and beard, there’s another dead giveaway: Laury was born on Feb. 29, 1944.

But come Saturday, the Franklin Township-born leapling will celebrate both his 19th and 76th birthdays.

“Wish I was 19,” Laury quipped.

Laury isn’t impressed by his leaper title. Growing up in Carbon County, he was the sixth of seven kids, born of two hotel owners who spent most of their time running the former Weissport House.

His family never made a big deal of birthdays, a tradition Laury has maintained despite his happenstance birth on a day that only comes once every four years. “It’s just — that’s the way it is,” he said.

If he could be 19 again, Laury said he’d finish high school. He dropped out of Lehighton Area High School in eleventh grade, because he struggled in his studies. “Now,” Laury pointed out, “you can’t beat me on common sense.

On paperwork, you’ll probably beat me, but on common sense, you ain’t gonna get me.”

When Laury does celebrate his Leap Year birth this weekend, he’ll do it at Leiby’s Restaurant in Tamaqua, surrounded by his wife, Sophie Laury, their daughter, son-in-law and four grandchildren.

His only request? Laury wants to end the meal with his dessert of choice: a cherry cheesecake.

Other celebrations

We reached out on Facebook for people celebrating Leap Year birthdays.

Here are a few responses:

John Smolczynski, of Jim Thorpe, might have been born in 1988, but he’s looking forward to turning 8 years old this Saturday.

“I finally get a birthday this year,” said Smolczynski, who will really be 32.

Kyle Slish, of Allentown, will turn 11 on Saturday.

At least, he wishes.

In reality, Slish wrote Times News via email, he’ll be ringing in his 44th birthday. “At this age,” he said, “I’d rather be 11 rather than 44.”

While he typically celebrates his birthday with friends on March 1, Slish said it’ll be nice to have one of his own this weekend.

Wayne Rauch will celebrate his “12th” birthday today. He was born on Feb. 29, 1972, exactly at 2:29 a.m.