Missouri woman celebrating 108th birthday

TUSCUMBIA, Mo. (KRCG) — At 108 years old, Beulah McCreery talks about things most of us have never experienced.

"We didn't have a car. We didn't go to town and buy toys like they do now."

The Miller County woman recalls a life almost no one else can.

"We had picnics and we would go to the picture shows, and that was about all the entertainment we had back then."

Beulah remembers her first date. They went to a dog and pony show followed by a dance.

"Raymond came along and asked me to go with him and I went. You probably won't believe this, but it only took a dime to get in. Ten cents and I didn't even have ten cents. So, he paid my way and that was my first date."

And that date with Raymond turned into a marriage of 76 years. She remembers their wedding day well.

"They had a big shivaree that night. They were still shivareeing people," she explained.

Howard and Beulah raised two sons, Roger and Lee. The family farm was near what was then called Stoutsville, in Monroe County. Their farm is now underwater, where Mark Twain Lake is today.

The McCreery's would eventually have six granddaughters, eight great-grandchildren, and ten great-great-grandchildren.

Roger McCreery remembers his mom's dedication to her family and the farm.

"My mother worked really hard on the farm. Not just in the house, but outside too."

If the boys ever got out of line, Beulah knew just how to handle them, "They got a paddlin' every once in a while," she said.

Roger said he and his brother were definitely kept on the straight and narrow path, "She had what she called a butter paddle, it was a paddle that she formed butter with and that's what she used on us and she used it fairly regularly."

For many years. Beulah was a Sunday School Teacher, which allowed her to share her faith and her values with generations to come.

"To be good little boys and girls and to mind their parents and to go to church every Sunday," she said.

Values that have made Roger, his brother and their entire family very proud of.

"I'm very proud of her not just for her age, but for who she is," Roger said with a smile.

After 108 years, Beulah McCreery has earned her time to share some advice for all to follow.

Treat people like they would want people to treat them. Be fair. And be good boys and girls.

Beulah McCreery lives at the Miller County Care and Rehabilitation Center in Tuscumbia.