Longtime Winchester resident celebrates her 100th birthday – Winchester Sun

Although Essie Miller is originally from Morgan County, Winchester has been her home since 1950.

On August 24, she was inducted into the elite club of centenarians.

Miller turned 100 and was honored in many ways, including celebrations at the James B. Allen Jr. Generations Center and Legacy Grove Park.

“I had a good time,” Miller said modestly.

Miller grew up on a farm, which instilled in him a strong work ethic.

She spoke about hoeing maize and other crops – noting that this was a common practice at the time – to avoid challenges that could lead to crop losses.

Milking the cows was another task.

However, the priorities remained the same.

“We always went to church on Sundays,” she said, noting that many stores were closed that day. “If you didn’t go to church on Sundays, you missed a lot.”

Like many children of the so-called “Greatest Generation,” Miller’s early life was not without challenges.

Her mother died when she was just nine years old and the Great Depression struck.

“Money was very tight,” she said, pointing out that tobacco was also grown.

Eventually, Miller married and raised twelve children with her husband – eight boys and four girls.

While her husband worked as a coal miner, Miller continued the same work she had known so well as a child.

She grew tobacco, sold chickens, and much more.

Regardless of her age, she remains active and visits the Generations Center weekly.

“She’s here every day, smiling and knowing everything,” said Jasmine Harris, director of the Generations Senior Center. “We had seniors in their 20s come here to celebrate with her… she loves to dance, so she asked me to dance with her.”

Miller has previously been praised for her cooking skills – she originally began her cooking career on a wood stove – and has received many compliments on her chicken and dumplings.

It was innovative in other respects too.

“We (even) made our own soap,” she said.

Miller has shown interest in leisure, as explained by an event that occurred not long ago.

“About eight years ago, our church went fishing at the lake. Everyone was catching big fish,” she said. “I took some strawberries to eat. I had a strawberry on the hook and I cast the line into the pond. I caught a twelve-pound catfish!”

When asked what had changed since her arrival in Winchester, Miller simply replied:

“Everything has changed,” she said.

When asked what she would like to say to the young people, she also gave succinct advice.

“Don’t get into trouble,” she replied.

Essie Miller, a resident of Winchester since 1950, celebrated her 100th birthday on Saturday, August 24. (Photo by Matt Cizek).