A lot of things change in a century – Ida Manis can tell you firsthand.
Ida, a resident at Signature HealthCARE (SHC) of Rogersville, recently celebrated her 103rd birthday with a party put on by the Hawkins County Retired Teachers Association. Longtime local musicians, Jim Bowman and Hale Vance, provided music for the event, accompanied on the harmonica by 93-year-old Kenneth “Peanut†Pearcy, also a resident at SHC of Rogersville.
Ida grew up the oldest of six children and remembers walking as far as three miles to school and church. “Actually, we walked just about everywhere,” she recalled. Rare exceptions were trips on horseback to the store, where you could fill a large basket for two or three dollars. She also recalls the “horse and buggy days†when doctors made house calls for deliveries or to sit up with a sick family member.
“It was a different time,†Ida said. “Some things are better now, but not all.â€
Ida worked in cotton mills after she was married. The couple was married for 56 years, until he passed.
When asked what she wants to be remembered for, Ida said, “Going to church and living a simple life.”