A Minden woman who has lived to see a century recently celebrated her 101st birthday.
Sally Evelyn Henry Miller, known to her family as “Aunt Evelyn,” was born Oct. 21, 1915, on a large farm in Heflin. Her birthday was marked with a celebration with friends and family, hosted by her nieces Marilyn Miller, Patti Guin, Judy Willett, Wanda Fields and Brenda Reeves.
She was the youngest of four children, born to M.C. and Nora Fuller Henry. Her niece, Marilyn Miller, said following a light stroke a couple of months ago, she is still full of life.
Since she has been at Savannah Court, she loves to play games. Although her first love was SkipBo, she now plays bingo every day.
Her niece recalled her favorite memories with her aunt, saying that no matter where she went, her car trunk was always full.
“One of my favorite memories is when her family and my family went on a trip to Lake D’Arbonne,” she said. “I was about 10, but it just amazed me the things that came out of her trunk. She had everything packed away as if we were moving in. She was the same way about everything.”
Until about eight years ago, she was known for going to every cemetery where family members are buried and taking care of their gravesites. Marilyn Miller said each site was immaculate.
“She took care of those cemetery plots as if they were home,” she said. “There’s not a weed on any of them. They all had indoor/outdoor carpet on top of their graves to keep the weeds from growing. She carried everything she needed in the trunk of her car.”
Evelyn Miller drove her car well into her 90s, her niece said. She drove herself to the Webster Council on Aging as long as she was able and participated in activities and ate lunch there every day.
She married Floyd “Abe” Miller in the late 1930s. Her husband served in the Pacific Theater during WWII. While living in Springhill, her husband worked for International Paper Company and later as a quality control manager at the Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant. She worked for West Brothers, where she retired after 45 years.
Evelyn Miller and her husband had no children, but they shared their love with their nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, Marilyn Miller said. Her aunt loved to cook fresh vegetables and fruit from “Uncle Abe’s” award-winning garden.
In the 1980s, when Abe Miller was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, the couple moved to Minden. They lived on Cline Street until his death in 1996. She has lived at Savannah Court since 2008.
“She is a unique lady,” she said.
