Neowne Adams was all smiles as she celebrated her 100th birthday with friends and family at Cedar Cliff Baptist Church on Oct. 20. Mrs. Adams turned 100 on Friday.
Neowne Hooper Adams reached the age of 100 on Oct. 25.
Her parents were Jack and Belle Lovin Hooper. She has outlived all her siblings; Oneida Smith, Neowe, and Reo Hooper.
Cedar Cliff Baptist Church – where she is the oldest living member – provided a birthday meal, rather a feast the Sunday before her birthday.
It is hard to comprehend what all has taken place during her life. She was born October 25, 1919 near Citico, Tenn., at a time when America was just recovering from World War I.
When she was not quite six, the railroad reached Robbinsville from Topton. She saw her first automobile coming around Hardslate Road in 1928. Her first plane ride was to California in 1991.
Today’s young people are clueless as to how hard this generation worked. She married Arvil Adams in 1936 in Blairsville, Ga. It was a double elopement, as her sister Oneida and Cleo Smith joined them in getting married. Neowne and Arvil’s family would be blessed with four children; Denman, Hollis, Maggie, and Karry Don, resulting in a total of 96 grandchildren counting great and great-great grandchildren. That is almost one for each year of her life.
A good portion of the working life of Arvil and Neowne was spent in the logging industry with much time spent in logging camps where Neowne cooked for a crew of loggers. Logging jobs took them into many areas including Citico,
Big Snowbird, Hanging Dog in Cherokee County, Huffman Creek, Deep Creek, Avey Branch, Big Santeetlah, Horse Cove, Bear Creek, Little Snowbird, Wright Creek, and others.
They purchased their first dozer in 1956. Before that, horses had been mostly used in logging.
Neowne still does her own housework including cooking, washing clothes which she hangs on an outside clothesline, made quilts, and all the usual chores. She is a great cook as her children and grandchildren will attest to.
To see this lady, you would not think she was a century old. She certainly doesn’t look it or get around like it.
Marshall McClung is a columnist for The Graham Star.