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Centenarians celebrate birthdays at Jackson Health Care Facility
Flora Looper and Gwendolyn Horton recently celebrated birthdays with parties and visits from relatives. Looper, at 106, is the eldest of the two ladies and moved from Benton, Ark. to be near her son Walter Looper. She still corresponds with her church there and enjoys recieving and reading the church bulletin each week. Looper also keeps up with family members, talking with two of her nieces who still live in Benton. When asked how she felt about turning 106, Looper said "I feel kind of old." She attributes her long life to never smoking or drinking and to trying her best to "live right." One of Looper's favorite memories is when she became a Christian at age 15. She and her husband, Walter, who was a construction worker, kept a farm and had two sons and a daughter. Looper also recalled how hard times were during the Great Depression of the 1930s. "We had to eat cornbread for breakfast," she said.
Her age doesn't seem to have dampened her spirit as she is quick to voice her opinion about anything. The mother of seven children, Horton said one of the most heart-wrenching times in her life was losing her son, Glover Horton Jr., who was killed in World War II at age 16. She still talks about him, but also cherishes her children who remain. Her daughters, Faye Bumpers and Pam Ryser, visit her on a regular basis at Jackson Health Care. Horton also enjoys playing bingo and reading the newspaper. She said she misses her home and participating as a member of the choir at church.
Spending her time as a fulltime mother and wife, Horton said she spent much of her life helping her husband farm and tend to their cattle.
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