Granddaughter Tamara Fleming recounted that her home was the last sale that Mary Witham made in her long career as a realtor. After that, Mary retired – at 90. Tamara told the story as 75 friends and family gathered for a surprise 100th birthday party for Mary.
By all accounts, Mary has lead a remarkable life, and a wonderful 100 Year Lifestyle. She still lives in her home, walking up and down the stairs. Her hearing is great – in person and on the phone. Not bad for a woman whose mother died at 39 and father at 59. Mary would appear to have created her own longevity. How did she do it? Mary says her happy longevity is due to hard work and always keeping an open mind. Her husband, who died at 104, attributed his longevity in part to daily wine and chocolate.
Another big component for Mary and her husband was their lifetime of relationships with young people. It kept them active and involved. At her party, many of those young people came to celebrate. Those friends of her children ended up to be lifelong friends of Mary as well. Today Mary has a significant surround sound support system, including her three children, three grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and another generation coming up. Her 2-month-old great-great-granddaughter was in attendance at the party!
That sounds like a life well lived! It sounds like a 100 Year Lifestyle still being lived. Mary may have retied at 90, but she is showing no signs of slowing down at 100. She’s enjoying life and has plans to keep going. Want to get some more longevity tips from Mary? Keep reading…