Elizabeth Grace celebrated her birthday on Monday
When Elizabeth Grace was asked how she has made it to her 106th birthday, her response was simple.
“Chocolate and coffee.”
Mrs. Grace celebrated her 106th Monday with family and friends as well as staff of the Homeplace of Henderson, where she has been residing for about the last two years.
She was born on Aug. 3, 1920, in Hopkins County. On Dec. 31, 1941, she married her husband, Alfred. Family say Alfred worked as a freight clerk in railroad offices and in 1961, he was working at one in Earlington.
The railroad gave Alfred the opportunity to transfer, either to an office in Christian County or to Henderson. Alfred chose Henderson, bringing his family—Elizabeth and two sons, Mac and George.
George Grace was at the celebration on Monday. He said when he and Mac were young, Mrs. Grace stayed home with them. When they were older and in school, she started working as a dressmaker. She worked for a time at Dixie Lou Frocks and also at C.B.S. Dress Co.
But even when the boys were in school, George said, she would quit for the summers to spend time with them and then go back to work in the fall.
Later, Mrs. Grace said she was a greeter at Big K (Kmart).
Still later, she would sit with older people who needed some help, and many times, Mrs. Grace would be older than the people she sat with, according to her granddaughter, Abbie Grace. Mrs. Grace often quipped that she was tired of hanging around all these old people, Abbie said.
Her granddaughter said that Mrs. Grace was still driving after she turned 99. Several years back, she also lived on her own at St. Joseph’s Apartments on Third Street. But at 102, she moved into Colonial Assisted Living, and at 104, she moved to Homeplace.
George said that taking care of her medication was the main reason she moved into an assisted living facility.
“If not for the medications, she could have lived on her own a couple more years,” he said.
In addition to her two sons, George and Mac, who passed in 2022, Mrs. Grace has four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
George also spoke about his mother’s propensity to move. Since arriving in Henderson in 1961, he counted 12 different places she’s lived. Furthermore, while living in an apartment complex or assisted living home, she likes to move rooms, he said. She would often pack up the small stuff on her own and call a professional mover to get the big stuff, George said.
Once, when George asked her about it, she told him, “I’m not asking you for any money. I’m not asking you for any help. So, it’s none of your business.”
The Hendersonian has not been able to determine if she is the oldest living person in the county, but she does appear to be. In February this newspaper wrote an article about another centenarian, Anna Dixon, who turned 105 then.
Here are some more notable quotes from Mrs. Grace.
On what her family calls her selective hearing, something Alfred, who died in 1998, also told her: “Alfred always said I heard what I want to hear.”
On her best memories: “There’s so many, I couldn’t even begin.”
On advice to others on how to live a good life: “Just do the best you can….and eat a lot of chocolate.”
