(Photo credit: 11alive.com screenshot)
A Stone Mountain, Georgia woman reached a milestone that many of us can only hope to achieve. She celebrated her 104th birthday on Saturday with calls, beeps, and cheers from her community.
Winnell Cunningham Shaw was surrounded by neighbors, friends, and family at Antioch Villas Gardens Apartments to celebrate her.
Shaw was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia and has lived a life full of ups and downs. Past any ailments like diabetes, immune diseases, bone fractures or anything else–she’s still here! And she’s not just living, she’s thriving!
At the age of 12 in 1930, she moved to Atlanta after her mother and aunt died. The show attended Ashby Street Elementary School, the city’s largest public elementary school for African Americans. She graduated from Booker T. Washington High School, the first public high school for African Americans in the State and Atlanta Public School System.
Later, Shaw married the love of her life at the age of 23. She, along with her husband Frank Shaw, raised four children until his death.
Born on January 7, 1918, Shaw showed that her mind is still just as sharp as ever as she answered questions from local news station WSB-TV 11 Alive.
“I feel fine!” she told the television station. “I think I’ve lived to be this old because I was understanding, and I try to live right and do the right things.”
How Does She Live So Long?When asked “Who has kept you this long?” Shaw immediately responded confidently with a quick two-word answer as if she knew the question was coming.
“Jesus Christ!” Shaw responded.
Faith is one of the factors that most individuals who live over 90 say they have. Faith in a higher power is a common thread that Shaw shares with many of today’s super elders.
In her time on earth, Shaw has lived through numerous pivotal moments in U.S. history- including two pandemics: the Spanish flu and what we’re living through now, COVID-19. She’s also lived through the Great Depression, World War I, World War II, the civil rights movement, and so much more.
When Shaw was almost three years old, women were finally given the right to vote in 1920 thanks to the 19th amendment.
Throughout her life, Shaw was a seamstress in the community, especially a caretaker of children, and gave her the nickname “Ms. Nell”. It needed a village, and Shaw invested deeply in helping women raise children and gave birth to a friend’s child in 1961.
She now has 13 grandchildren and says she enjoyed the moment she was able to sit down and listen to the “old days”.
Shaw retired as a seamstress and instead picks up Gin Rummy and paints. Neighbors say she paints almost every day, a childhood graffiti.
Her work was exhibited as the community ran through to celebrate her birthday.
Shaw’s neighbor and friends say she is still the charm of the South.
Long live Winnell Shaw!
Shaw is a centenarian or a person who has lived to be 100 years old or older. Centenarians are among the fastest-growing
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