Ruby Davis, who turns 105 today, believes the secret to long life is simple: Just keep moving.
That motto has worked for her for more than a century. Even at a birthday party Saturday, attended by more than 200 family and friends at Calvary United Methodist Church, Ruby kept moving. Each time someone arrived to wish her a happy birthday, she stood from her chair to give them a warm hug.
Guests came from across the country: Virginia, North Carolina, Missouri, Alaska, Florida, Arizona, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Rubys great-niece, Trenia Marietta, of Camden, N.C., attended the celebration. She was born in Iola but moved away as a young child. Marietta grew up spending summers with her grandfather and his sister, Ruby. Shes always admired her great-aunt.
Shes always up for an adventure, Marietta said.
RUBY was born July 23, 1914, to Wiley Elmore and Bertha Mae Rogers, on a farm 10 miles west of Colony, on the county line. She moved to Iola in 1955.
She was married to Bill Moore for 41 years until his death. They had a son, named after his father, who lives in Missouri. She was married to Clyde Davis for 19 years until his death.
Shes been active in numerous community clubs and activities. Shes invested 75 years into the areas FCE clubs, including the past 20 with the Happy Hearts FCE. She volunteers at Allen County Regional Hospital Auxiliary, where she answers the phone and works the check-in desk during blood drives.
On Friday nights, youll find Ruby at the Iola Senior Center, playing cards. If someone in her church is sick, she bakes them cookies. And she still gets requests for her famous lemon meringue pies.
Whenever someone in her family gets married or has a baby, Ruby presents them with a quilt. Shes a longtime member of the Sunflower Quilt Guild.
Even at the age of 105, Ruby lives independently. She wakes up every morning to ride a stationary bicycle for two miles; she used to walk all over town, but eventually agreed that a stationary bicycle was safer and could be used year-round.
She gave up driving a couple of years ago, perhaps as a rare concession to her advancing years. She handed her son, Bill, the keys to her car and said, I dont think Im going to drive anymore. But its not because I cant.
RUBY has watched the world change in many ways over the past 105 years, but her great-niece was most curious about Rubys views on air travel. After all, Marietta lives just a short drive from Kitty Hawk, N.C., where the Wright brothers made their first flight in 1903.
