White Celebrates 104th Birthday, Has Simple Advice On Longevity

White Celebrates 104th Birthday, Has Simple Advice On Longevity

By Justin Geurin

Herald Contributor

WATER VALLEY –  Hello, everyone! This week’s edition of “The Outsider” is a special one indeed, as I had the privilege to sit down with a local resident who has lived in Water Valley for more than a century! That’s right, Georgia Ann White, who this past Saturday celebrated her 104th birthday, was gracious enough to welcome me into her home and give me a truly unique perspective on what it is like to live in our great town. 

White was born in Water Valley in 1912, and as you can imagine, in her own words, “Everything has changed so much!” She remembers many years of hard work and taking a wagon into town to sell the goods or crops from the farm to make a living. White has picked cotton, plowed fields, and raised chickens, but as she will tell you, “We had a lot of hard times, but we made it!”

During her time in Water Valley she spent years keeping house for people around town. She would cook, wash, and generally keep things in order. She remembers fondly working for several families around town, and according to White, “All of the older people in Water Valley know me.” For her, the best part about Water Valley, is that she loves all the people, regardless of who they are or where they come from. 

If you get a chance, you really should stop by and visit Ms. White, because she has some great stories to tell. She told me about a wagon ride to town one winter where it was so cold, someone offered her some whiskey to warm up. “I had two swallows of that stuff and never had another drink,” she exclaimed proudly. 

She also told me about dropping out of school after the seventh grade, even though her father wanted her to keep going, because she would rather plow fields and help the family. 

One story she was particularly proud of was her visit to Washington D.C. She was in the area visiting for a family reunion, and a tour bus drove them to the capital where she saw the White House and the National Treasury. But her southern hospitality shown through even in this moment, because rather than be in awe of the Presidential residence, she was appalled by all of the homeless people all around the city. “I thought I was going to a nice place, but in that way it was worse than Mississippi,” she said, “around here someone would take you in and look after you.” 

White has traveled all over the county visiting her extensive family. She had 14 brothers and sisters, and now has more grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren than she can count. She has been to places like Houston, Huntsville, Memphis, and Detroit, among others, but every time she does, she looks forward to coming home to Water Valley. 

When you meet someone who is more than 100 years old, the obvious question to ask is, “what’s your secret?” Well if you ask, Ms. White, the answer is pretty simple…”Live by the Bible and love one another,” she explains. According to Ms. White, she does not eat very much anymore, instead she mostly has small snacks during the day, but she still loves good food. She eats oatmeal, rice, bacon, eggs, greens, potato salad and one of her favorites, pork salad; although she says nothing has quite the same flavor as it used to. She also continues to exercise regularly, as she will use her walker to walk up and down the hallway of her home several times a day. Plus, as often as she can, she goes to worship at Green Goshen Church. To put it simply, she is a remarkable woman. 

This past weekend, for her birthday, her family honored her with a surprise party, which included five generations and close to 70 family members. Before she realized how many people were there, they asked her to say the blessing for the food, and when she turned around and saw all of her family around her, she was so surprised she forgot to bless the food! “ I just kept saying, ‘look at all the people,’ and then I was so mixed up, I just started singing instead of giving the blessing,” she said. The joy on her face was easy to see and she thought about all of her family being there. 

Before I left, White asked me about my family, so of course I had to show her pictures of my daughters on my phone. She raved about how pretty they were and then, she took both of my hands in hers, looked me in the eyes, and told me, “You love those children and take care of them, and be good to your wife, too!” As I walked toward the door, she gave me one last piece of advice, “The only thing you can do, is live one minute at a time…just love one another and keep on pushing!” I don’t know about you, but I think I will listen to her advice; after all, she has been here for 104 years, I think she knows what she is talking about!