Surrounded by multiple generations of her family, Thelma Mae Kirby Little of Flintstone, Georgia turned 110 last week.
Little’s birthday was last Wednesday, celebrated in advance at a party including a golden birthday queen sash and matching tiara, snacks, a birthday cake and about 70 well-wishers, Gina Little Derryberry, Little’s granddaughter, said in a phone call.
Besides one cousin who lives in Ohio, Derryberry said all of Little’s extended family lives nearby in Flintstone or other Northwest Georgia cities like Ringgold and Chickamauga. Much of the Little family lives on shared property at the foot of Lookout Mountain, which they call the compound.
“We built her a house in 1997,” Derryberry said of her grandmother. “And she’s in the center of our property because she’s in the center of our heart. We all live around her in walking distance.”
Derryberry described her grandmother as a simple woman who was lucky enough to have a family that helped her enjoy her autumn years. From her four children, Little has seven grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great-grandchildren — with another great-great-grandchild on the way.
“She’s amazing, and she’s really funny and has always had a sense of humor, which helps,” Derryberry said of her grandmother.
Little didn’t want to be interviewed for this story, Derryberry said, but she was alert for her party and enjoyed being with her extended family.
Little often gives advice for a long life, Derryberry said, but almost in jest.
“That’s what she’s always said: Don’t drink, don’t smoke,” Derryberry said. “Sleep seven hours a night. And don’t fret the small things. Don’t worry about anything. She’s never worried about anything.”
When it comes to food’s role in longevity, Little said to put bacon grease in everything and eat real butter. Derryberry said Little always had containers of bacon grease and butter sitting on her counter and would add bacon grease to vegetables and soups.
Little was a great cook, Derryberry said, and some of her standout dishes were chicken and dumplings, and chicken and dressing, as well as pies and fried pies.
Only about 1 in 1,000 live to be supercentenarians, the term for people who reach 110, according to the German-based Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research. The U.S. has the most supercentenarians, the institute found, followed in descending order by Japan, England plus Wales, France, and Italy.
Early life
Little was born in 1914 as the daughter of cotton farmers in Summerville, Georgia, Derryberry said, describing her grandmother’s life.
Early in her marriage to Walter Little, the couple worked as sharecroppers near Scottsboro, Alabama.
Credit: Family Handout
Credit: Family Handout
Little first came to the area with her husband and settled into a log cabin homestead in Ooltewah, where Walter Little opened a barber school. For more than 30 years, Derryberry said Walter Little ran a barber shop in St. Elmo.
In 1942, the Little family moved to Flintstone. Derryberry said her father, Baxter Little, was born after her grandparents moved to Flintstone.
Derryberry said Thelma Little sewed all of her four children’s clothes and had Mason jars of buttons and empty spools of thread that were playthings for several generations of Little children.
When Thelma Little’s children started high school, Derryberry said, she went to work at a leather glove factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She retired in her mid-70s, only because there were layoffs coming and Little gave up her job to a single mother who needed the income.
Walter Little died in 1981, Derryberry said.
Thelma Little is still a member of Flintstone Baptist Church, Derryberry said.
Oldest son
Baxter Little is Thelma Little’s oldest son. He said by phone he was born at the family’s homestead in Ooltewah before the move to Flintstone. He still lives in Flintstone.
“It was great growing up back then,” Baxter Little, 85, said. “It’s not near what it’s like today. You played outside, and you made your own entertainment.”
His mother’s cooking was outstanding, he said. There was always a cake on top of the refrigerator or homemade fried pies, with fillings like apple, raisin and peach.
Baxter Little said his mother was quick to share the habits that led to her long, healthy life.
“What my mother always said, she washed her hands five, six, seven times a day,” he said. “And she got plenty of sleep, regular, scheduled sleep. She said that was the secret to living a long time.”
When asked if there was anything he wanted people to know about his mother, Baxter Little said she spends her time helping others and is loved by everyone.
Contact Andrew Wilkins at awilkins@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659.
Credit: Chattanooga Times Free Press
Credit: Chattanooga Times Free Press
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