A Durham, North Carolina, woman celebrated her 100th birthday on June 1.
Married for 56 years, a mother to six daughters, grandmother to 11, and a great grandmother to 13, Iva McCrae said she has lived a good life, ABC 11 reported.
She said she thanks God for everything, and suggests for others to seek out the Lord’s guidance.
“The first thing you’re supposed to do is to think about the Lord,” McCrae said. “Put him first, ask him to guide you.”
McCrae still drives her car and doesn’t have any health issues. She said the only time she’s been to the hospital was to give birth to her daughters. Her healthy lifestyle traces back to being raised on a farm.
McCrae’s husband — a soldier when they wed — passed away in 2003. Family is everything to McCrae. She even was recognized as mother of the year in Durham.
“It takes a village to raise children,” McCrae said. “How the schools contributed to it, how my Baptist church contributed.
The 100-year-old became the first special education teacher in Durham county.
Her daughters beamed with pride as her mother opened countless cards.
“It’s a blessing,” her daughter said. “And she has many more good blessings to look forward to.”
McCrae will be celebrating by taking a trip to Hawaii.