Virgia Bartee, who recently turned 106, is often asked about her secret to wrinkle-free skin.
She also is asked how one survives more than 10 decades.
Her answer is always the same: Don't smoke or drink. Stay active after retirement. Surround yourself with young people.
One of her four children, 72-year-old Ruth Gray, adds one more “must” to the list: Remain feisty.
“She has never been shy about speaking her mind,” says Gray, a retired nurse who lives in a mobile home in Bartee's backyard and is her primary caretaker. “The other Sunday morning, she said, ‘I'm not going to church today.’ She never misses church. But that morning, she just didn't feel like getting dressed. So she crossed her arms and legs, sat on the couch and wouldn't hear anymore about it.”
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