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Jessie Morris celebrates 100th birthday with five generations
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By Jennifer Wimmer
Jessie Morris, born March 9, 1926, celebrated her 100th birthday Monday at Heartland Villa Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Lewisport. The Hancock County Fiscal Court marked the special occasion with a proclamation presented to her at the center by Senior Services Director Lona Morton and Judge-Executive Johnny “Chic” Roberts.
Five generations of Jessie’s family joined her Sunday for a celebration, and a second party was held Monday at the center. Many students at South Hancock Elementary School made her birthday cards, giving her 100 in total. Her son, William, said those really pleased her, and that she took time to look at and enjoy each one.
Jessie has two grandchildren, Bryan (Shelly) Morris and Beth (Chris) Diefenbach; great-grandchildren Brandon and Kyle Morris, and Luke (Rachel) and Hannah Diefenbach; and great-great grandchildren Sam and Millie Beth Diefenbach.
The daughter of Alvie and Annabelle Corley, Jessie was born and raised in the Weber community of Hancock County. She attended Brown School in Weber and graduated from Hawesville High School. She is a longtime member of Pellville Baptist Church.
Jessie and her husband, the late Herman Morris, are the parents of one son, William Carroll Morris, who lives in Weber with his wife, Lista. Herman passed away in 1981.
She worked at GE for about a year but spent most of her life helping run the family farm in Weber. She tended cattle, repaired fences and handled hay, as well as the heavy labor of raising tobacco — all while keeping a garden each year. William said she worked right alongside the family in every task.
She worked at GE for about a year but spent most of her life helping run the family farm in Weber. She tended cattle, repaired fences and handled hay, as well as the heavy labor of raising tobacco — all while keeping a garden each year. William said she worked right alongside the family in every task.
He said his mother grew up during the Great Depression and often shared stories about how difficult those years were.
“They raised their own food and killed their own meat, but there wasn’t much money going around,” he said. “She told me about a car they had that was in the barn because it had a flat tire and they didn’t have enough money to fix it; that’s how bad it was. That’s just the way it was, but they lived well. They had their garden and canned and always had plenty of food. They had a rather nice two-story house.”
He said Jessie has always stayed active, crediting that lifestyle for her longevity. She moved to Heartland Villa on Feb. 27.
“All of the family came in and we celebrated with her,” William said. “We had cake with her and she opened her gifts on Sunday. The next day, on her birthday, Heartland Villa gave her a birthday party, and all of the residents had cake with us again. We had a big group there.”
Jessie’s centennial birthday was honored with family, friends and community.
Posted in Local News 2