Eva Gammon gently extended her hand to Irene Corrow as both were honored during a party for her 102nd birthday at the Maristone of Providence in Mt. Juliet on August 7.
Gammon’s birthday was July 5 and Corrow’s was August 2. It was a big deal at the assisted living facility, which had never seen such a milestone before, let alone twice.
The big party was attended by dozens of their friends and family members, who listened to live music featuring songs from their generation. Both women wore brightly colored clothing and birthday tiaras. Jared Houtman, Maristone’s director of life engagement, organized the hour-long double birthday party in the facility’s community room.
“No, I don’t think we’ve ever had such a special occasion where two of our favorites were honored and venerated on their respective 102nd birthdays,” he said as he lit two candles on a birthday cake that was to be presented to the ladies. “They are close acquaintances here and meet up occasionally for visits.”
No one would believe that these petite, perfectly coiffed women lived as long as the Great Depression in the 1930s, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, World War II, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (the women were 41 years old at the time), and the moon landing.
Corrow was born on August 2, 1922, in Newport, Vermont. Gammon was born on September 5, 1922, in Macon County.
Corrow is the oldest of 11 children, three of whom are still living. Her husband, Bernard, died in 1996, and she retired as a head cook in a Long Island school district. She has two sons, Bill and David, and two grandchildren. Bill lives with his wife, Laura, in the Del Webb community in Mt. Juliet, down the road from Maristone. They moved there in 2018.
“She always says, ‘the good die young,’ and I joke with her that she must have committed a great sin to live so long,” Bill said, laughing during the birthday party. “Of course she hasn’t. She was a child of the Depression and almost every Christmas she thinks back to when she was a newlywed and her husband was in World War II and she never knew if he was killed or taken prisoner.”
Bill said his mother had a wonderful life. Her hobbies included playing cards, reading, flower arranging and listening to live music.
Gammon’s daughter, Teresa Prater, was at the party along with other family members, including Gammon’s great-grandson Max Morrow, 4. She has three children, one of whom has died at age 63.
“We grew up in Old Hickory and my mother was a housewife,” Prater said. “She loved taking care of her family, doing laundry, ironing and cooking.”
Gammon’s specialty was fried chicken. “We ate two kinds of meat, potatoes and a vegetable every night,” Prater said.
Gammon was married to JB for 77 years and they moved to Maristone in 2019. JB died six months later at the age of 93.
Gammon said her secret to longevity is hard work. Growing up in rural Tennessee, her family lived off the land during the Depression.
“We didn’t know we had nothing,” she said. “We were happy with what we had.”
“It’s about hard work, contentment, the Bible, singing and music,” said Prater, who sat a few feet away from her mother and kept her eyes fixed on her throughout the party.
