SIKESTON -- Bertha Savage celebrated her 100th birthday Oct. 19 at the Sikeston Convalescent Center with several members of her family. She lived in Morehouse for 50 years before relocating to Sikeston.
Mrs. Savage was born in 1903 before the introduction of most modern conveniences, including the automobile. She and her husband, C.D. Savage, moved from Arkansas to south of Morehouse in 1924, where they farmed for a number of years. In 1944, they moved to Morehouse, where they raised a family of four children. Her husband died on Dec. 26, 1970.
Guests for the celebration included her daughter, Euleta Shaffar of Sikeston; two sons and daughters-in-law, Ed and Gloria Savage of Millington, Tenn., and Don and Lynda Savage of Hattiesburg, Miss.; and five grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and their families.
According to her children, Savage was no stranger to hard work. Years after moving into town, she and her husband continued their farm work on a smaller scale by laboring in a garden on their property. They were known for raising fresh vegetables including tomatoes, green beans, squash and blackeye peas. Even in her late 50s, she could be found out in the summer heat picking cotton to supplement the family income.
A member of the First Baptist Church of Morehouse for 70 years, where she and her husband were actively involved, Mrs. Savage has been a resident at the Sikeston Convalescent Center since 1995. She was voted Sikeston Convalescent Center Queen in 1995.