100-year-old celebrates birthday with family through window

Published 3:34 pm Tuesday, March 24, 2020

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Evelyn Morris Harrell had quite the surprise for her 100th birthday last Saturday at her retirement home.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the nursing home Harrell resides in has shut its doors to all visitors. However, that didn’t stop a celebration from happening. Harrell’s granddaughter, Debby Miller, great grandchildren, Nicki and Joshua, great great grandchildren, Zac and Nick and great granddaughter in law, Tiffy went to the nursing home and sang “Happy Birthday” to Harrell outside the front door. Inside the retirement home, Harrell was given a cake and received a certificate from the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board.

Harrell is the daughter of the late Mr. & Mrs. William Morris and was born on March 21, 1920. She is one of four children. She has two brothers, Cecil and Buddy and a sister Hilda.
Hilda and Cecil have both gone to be with the Lord, but Buddy will be celebrating his 98th birthday this year.

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Harrell was married to the love of her life, the late A.L. Harrell, who she had four kids with. Her firstborn David, who married Patsy and resides in Homerville, Ga. She then had a daughter, Nancy Cone Lowther, who lives in Climax, Ga. She later had another daughter, Beth Beach, who married Frankie and lives in Quincy, Fl. and her last child was another daughter, Linn Harrell, who also resides in Climax.

These children gave her seven grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren and 11 great great grandchildren.

While raising her children, Harrell taught Sunday school and helped with children’s church for years.

In addition, she worked for Cooper’s Tires and Home Furniture Store. She later went to work at her friend’s flower shop in Quincy, before moving into her retirement home at Bainbridge Health and Rehab.

Harrell is described as a loving and caring woman, who attended family lunch every Sunday and loved coffee and sweet cakes, almost as much as she loved her grandchildren.

Harrell has much to celebrate on this birthday, and Miller hopes to throw her a “real” party once the virus is over.