HOUSTON, Miss. (WTVA) -- Friends, family members, and caretakers of Floy Dyer Extended Care Center, sang Happy Birthday to Zula Warnick Friday.
She describes herself as a no-nonsense woman who tells it like it is and does not go for a lot of pomp and circumstance.
"She says exactly what she means. And, if you want the truth about something ask Zula," said long-time friend June Hill of Houston.
Zula was born in 1906 in Chickasaw County, and was one of nine children.
Zula is the only living survivor of her siblings, and she remembers working hard and walking three miles to school each day.
"I worked until I was 85. I was taking care of a lady that had cancer and she had an arm as big as my leg and I just had to see after her eight hours every night. I worked until she died and then I said I'm haning up my bow," said Warnick.
At the age of 90, Zula says she once drove her Buick to Greenville Mississippi to visit a brother.
Her mind is sharp, say nurses, and she keeps it that way by working huge jigsaw puzzles.
"Oh, I've worked puzzles, puzzles, puzzles. They've kept my brain together," she laughed.
Perhaps there is something special in the air or in the water at Floy Dyer, because there is more than one, 100-year-old living there.
One woman is 103-years-old and there are several residents in their 90's.
"These ladies I'm talking about are active. Still have great quality of life," said Hope Tucker, a caretaker at Floy Dyer.
Zula advises kids to be obedient to their parents, and stay active to achieve a long life.
According to the 2010 census numbers, there were 542 residents living in Mississippi at the age of 100.
