One hundred years.
That’s what Dottie Williams of Richmond Hill celebrated Sunday when she and her family and friends gathered at Magnolia Manor on the Coast for her 100th birthday.
Born on April 21, 1913, in upstate New York, Williams has lived through some challenging times, including the Great Depression and World War II. But she has also seen many beautiful things and places, like Hawaii and Costa Rica.
Williams has traveled for pleasure and moved several times with her family throughout the years. But of all the things the centenarian has seen in her lifetime, she said her favorite memories are those with people.
“My good memories is my love for people — I love being with people, and wherever we went, I met new people and saw new things,” Williams said. Williams’ husband, Charlie, who she was married to for nearly 70 years before he died, worked as a forester and moved quite a bit. She met him at Syracuse University, where they both took classes during the Great Depression.
“Everybody was depressed and there was no money — no anything,” she said. “Of course where I was from everybody was poor, but we didn’t know we were because we were all in the same condition.”
The pair were married in 1938 and soon after moved from New York to Virginia.
“I was delighted because I was going to get warm,” she said with a laugh, adding she never liked the cold weather of New York. “We lived in Virginia, then he got a job in Savannah. We also lived in South Carolina and eventually got to Georgia, and we’ve been here ever since — close to 60 years, but probably more than that.”
Although Williams didn’t finish school, she said she enjoyed her job of looking after her family while her husband worked.
“It was great — it gave me the opportunity to read, to do community things, do church things,” she said. “You could really get involved, and girls don’t have that opportunity anymore. They don’t have the opportunity, I think, that women my age had.”
Williams lived in Isle of Wight in Liberty County for some time, where she and her husband were active in the Methodist Church at Midway. She also said she had a “beautiful garden” at their island home.
“It was a lovely garden,” Williams said. “Of course you had the tidal water and the wild birds, and the porpoises went up into our creek. To see the sun come up and go down, and see the moon come up — it was beautiful. I think I love it there most of all.”
Other beautiful places Williams said she has visited include England, Costa Rica, Alaska and Hawaii. Of all the places she traveled, she said Hawaii probably was her favorite.
“We went there in the spring and it was perfectly beautiful,” she said. “Of course Costa Rica is beautiful, too.”
And although she said she loves to travel, she said the “simple life” is the best life.
“Enjoy a simple life — I still think a simple life is better, but I don’t think we have that anymore,” she said. “Small towns are great because you know your neighbor and your children know their children. The old way of living is probably the best way.”