Two sisters celebrated their birthdays in a joint celebration in Newton on Wednesday.
And while that may not, in and of itself be newsworthy, the fact that their combined ages total more than 200 years is.
Marie Robinson will turn 101 years old on Friday and her older sister Lois Mundy turned 103 years old on Tuesday. The sisters celebrated their birthdays together with family at Western Steer in Newton.
The two, it seems, have shared a lot over the years, and their lives have remained intertwined. Family members say the entire family is close-knit and continue to gather for birthdays and other celebrations. Their sister, Bernice Gilmer, recently celebrated her 95th birthday. Helen White, 85, who was at Wednesday’s celebration, is the youngest sister.
Robinson and Mundy, who both now live at Abernethy Laurels, have seen a lot over their years of living.
Mundy, who can recall details with the clarity of a 20-year-old, remembers learning to drive a Ford Model A by watching her dad. She pestered him until he broke down and let her drive.
“You didn’t have to have a driver’s license then,” Mundy said. “If you did, I didn’t know it.”
Both Mundy and Robinson continued to drive well into their 90s, said family members gathered for the celebration.
Mundy also remembers when electricity first came down the road where the family lived.
The two sisters grew up on a farm in the Catawba area of the county. There were four boys and four girls. The boys are all dead now but all four girls in the family are still living.
Mundy finished high school in 1927 and married Preston Mundy that same year. The couple had four children.
Robinson met and married Flake Robinson and they had four children as well. Flake Robinson owned Robinson Hosiery Mill, where the two sisters worked.
Mundy retired at 69 years old, but Robinson said with a chuckle, “I never did retire.”
Mundy added, “I can’t work now but I read every day. I’m going to read my Bible again in the new year.”
She credits reading with keeping her mind sharp.
“My doctor told me years ago that reading was good for your mind,” Mundy said. “But I don’t read no trash.” She reads things that will make her a better person, she said.
She also credits clean living and her faith in Christ that have kept her going. The other thing that has kept her going is very little meat. She instructed a granddaughter who was getting her food on Wednesday that she didn’t want any meat.
“That’s the reason I’ve lived so long. I don’t eat much meat,” Mundy said.
As for Robinson’s secret to longevity, “I tried to live right.”
Her favorite memory over the years, she said, “My wonderful husband, I guess.”
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