Peachtree Few things in life last a century, but for one family they’ve enjoyed just such a blessing all these years. Wanda Davis-Kephart celebrated her 100th birthday at Murphy Rehab & Nursing on Dec. 17.
Born in 1922, she has passed the test of time.
Kephart remembers growing up in Hanging Dog, the same place of her birth. The cheerful-face birthday girl left Murphy High School after the ninth grade, and 100 years of living taught her everything else she would need to know in life.
As a kid, she didn’t have much. The only toys she received were the dolls her mother made for her.
Her daddy raised hogs, which they would eat – but they never ate the cows, as they would always be sold. They ate everything they raised or grew, and only purchased items they couldn’t grow, such as sugar.
Kephart recalled how her mother would have to do laundry on a rub board for 12 children and how hard it was for her. She was too young to help at the time.
For Christmas as a child, Kephart said, “We would get an apple, an orange, a stick of candy and a handful of nuts.” They were happy with their gifts, even if that’s all they received.
Her first car was a Model A. Her favorite singers were Dolly Parton and Porter Wagner. She said of Dolly, “Pretty little thing, she grew up rough.”
Her favorite movie was, and remains, Gone with the Wind.
Times were tough when she was growing up, but she has fond memories from her past.
Kephart married her husband, Wade, in 1938, when she was just 15 years old. She would have five children, four of which were born by the time she reached the tender age of 22.
Her husband loved babies so much he promised Kephart a new house if she’d have another one – so she did, and he did, too.
They had no electricity until her eldest daughter was 11 years old. To keep warm, they depended on fireplaces and wood-burning stoves.
Back then, they lived on a dollar a day. Her husband passed away in 1975.
Kephart worked in textiles, where she made government T-shirts. She was employed by Murphy Textile as well as Brumby’s Textile.
She did well and made it to the position of inspector. When her employer became ill, she was asked to step in and take his place for a short period of time.
Kephart always wanted to be a nurse, but never had the opportunity to do so. She was just too busy being a wife and raising a family.
She enjoyed sewing and cooking. Kephart has made 200 hand-stitched quilts in her lifetime, giving all of them away.
She really enjoyed making baby quilts. Each regular quilt took about three weeks to make.
When asked what has been the biggest change in her lifetime, Kephart said, “The way people act. They got meaner.
“When I was growing up, you could go out at night and not worry about nothing; now I’d be afraid to go out at all. Back then you didn’t lock doors, you’d leave the door open with the screen closed. Now if you don’t lock them, they’ll come in on ya.”
She offered a bit of advice to young folks.
“Go to church,” she said. “That’s where you need to be, and then you’ll get good training.”
For her birthday, Kephart received a bag of clothes and a couple of blankets. Her eldest daughter, Mildred Chamblee, said of her mother, “Even now she wears cute shirts and capris because she never wanted to wear old lady stuff. She always wore nice dresses to church.
“She baked cakes and pies. We all lived in different places and on weekends we’d visit, and she’d have lots of food and desserts for us. She made dried apple pies until she was 98 years old, even making her own pie crust and drying her own apples.”
In 100 years, Kephart has no regrets. “It’s been good,” she said, owing the goodness in her life to her Mama.
She has 11 grandchildren and recently gave her childhood doll to her youngest granddaughter, Ciera. She still enjoys word search puzzles and offered a final bit of advice to her family: “Be ready to go.”
Kephart has a sweet and gentle spirit, a genuine treasure in an ever-changing world.