McAlester woman celebrates 104th birthday
Jan. 25—A McAlester woman who recently celebrated her 104th birthday said the secret to living a long life was to pray.
Friends of Dorothy Johnson gathered Thursday at the McAlester Nursing Center for her birthday celebration.
Amy Loyd, who has known Johnson for 40 years, said Johnson has always been a woman of faith.
"She has walked through fire and come out on top," Loyd said. "She has never lost her faith in God. She never gave up on God. She's always encouraging the young people to get into church by telling them to 'get a bulldog hold on God and hold on."'
Johnson was born Jan. 19, 1919, in Monet, Montana to Roy and Artelee Waltrip and had four sisters and two brothers.
She began working at the age of 13 in the Cross Timbers pulling a cross-cut saw.
Dorothy married Raymond Johnson in Antlers, Oklahoma on Jan. 30, 1941, who served in the U.S. Air Force during WWII.
Dorothy and Raymond had two sons, Orville, who was named after one of the Wright Brothers, and Richard.
Dorothy Johnson remains an active member of the McAlester Gospel Assembly Church since 1994.
"Her church was her family, until she inherited all of us" said Vickie Klink, director of Nursing at McAlester Nursing Center.
Her friends say she still plays her harmonica and writes song lyrics for church services.
"She wrote a chorus, and she sang it for us Tuesday night," Loyd said. "If I go on, I'll have to pray for you. If I go on, I'll have to love you too. Pray for you both day and night, keep my spirit bright. If I go on, I'll have to pray for you."
Dorothy also would play volleyball with her church family until she began her residence at the nursing home and remained active until recently.
"She hurt her hip one time trying to show the young people how to work out," Loyd said.
Dorothy also enjoyed quilting and sewing with Loyd still having two dresses Dorothy made for Loyd's daughter when she was born.
"She loves her coat of many colors that she wears all the time she made herself years ago," Klink said.
Loyd also said Dorothy is known for her generosity to others.
"I've heard of her paying bills for people, and nobody knew," Loyd said. "She never told anybody, and nobody knew. Everything that she did was for the betterfication of other people."
An employee of McAlester Nursing Center said she asked Dorothy what the secret of living a long life was.
"Just pray to God," Dorothy said.
