Page 27 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2023

The Sharp Minded Business Woman
Barbee, 100, is from the small Mississippi town of
Lula, just nine miles east of the Mississippi River. She attended business school in Memphis, Tennessee. and she learned key skills such as bookkeeping and typing which prepared her for a career during the Great Depression.
Following her time as a bookkeeper, she spent several years as a stay-at-home mom, raising her five children while her husband served as the Lula Postmaster. As her children grew older, she re-entered the workforce part-time as a postal clerk in the Lula post office.
Full of drive to work harder, she applied for a full-time position at the post office in the neighboring town of Jonestown and spent 11 years in the postal service. Moving on from the post office, she spent more than 15 years as a bank teller at the Coahoma Bank & Trust before retiring. She credits her mother for instilling the personal values that lay behind her successful careers. She still prides herself on her honesty and timeliness.
Always a stickler for detail, she maintains her mental acuity by memorizing the numbers on all the bingo
cards since her eyesight has diminished too much to read them. She’s lived in the community for more than eight years and can recite the full name and apartment numbers of her fellow Seashore residents.
Bobbie Barbee.
The Creative Dress Designer and Seamstress
Lois Jones.
Jones, 100, is a gifted storyteller who can make the past come alive. Listeners particularly
enjoy hearing about the incredible 20 years she spent at the Maybelle Dress Manufacturing Co. in Gulfport as a seamstress and supervisor. Legend has it she was so productive that the other factory workers could barely
keep up. But for her, it was all just about staying busy
and diligently sewing each day. She still sews, making various items for her friends at the Seashore community like masks, dinner bibs, and even crocheted hats – all without using any kind of pattern.
And she’s serious about her morning exercise routine and has even been known to throw a jab or two during boxing classes.
So what do these three amazing ladies all agree on? That they are in the right spot for the second century of their lives – at the Seashore Highlands Retirement Community.
“Whether it’s challenging their minds, making special gifts,
or taking part in our exercise programs, each of these ladies is still enjoying the things they always have,” said Diana White, southern area marketing director for Methodist Senior Services.
These Southern Belles also seem to agree that staying connected to the people and things that interest and amuse them is the secret to reaching 100 years old.
“Back then they lived in a world of warmth and adventure,” White said. “Our vision is to make sure they continue to experience what defines their sense of adventure – now and always.”
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Ladies from Left to Right:
Lois Jones, 100, Bobbie Barbee, 100, Cleo Taylor, 102.