Tammy Curtis, Managing Editor

Sitting in her wheelchair with a huge smile on her face was Eaglecrest Nursing and Rehab resident  Maxie Peal Dressed in her best dress it didn’t take long to see why the staff loves Maxie. She was beaming on her 100th birthday.  For the occasion, her family made their way to the facility from far away, including Texas and Kentucky. “How old am I?”  She couldn’t believe she had conquered the century mark and was about to celebrate the milestone with five generations of family and new family she made at the facility.

It didn’t take long to see that Maxie’s sense of humor was her saving grace. “I am contrary and determined,” she said. I am a happy person. If  I hadn’t been contrary, I would have never made it. “I feel fine as frog hair.”

The staff at Eaglecrest went above and beyond, even spending their own money to make sure her party was perfect. In addition to the party with her family, a second area was set up in a 50s diner theme, appropriately named  Maxie’s Diner. Two of her aids, Paige Walls and Desiree Denny also dressed in 50s attire. 

Maxie was one of nine children, born in Hickman, Kent. She later moved to Union City, Tenn., with her family. She and her husband, JS, worked at Brown Shoe Factory in Union City their entire lives. As she entered her party room, she was met by a few of her family members, including her son-in-law, Orbie Maddox, and grandson, Matthew  Maddox. 

Five generations of her family filled the room to help celebrate her 100th birthday.

JS and Maxie had three children: Floyd, Wanda, and Tom. 

Matthew said Maxie was the matriarch of the family. “She was the lady that would fill a 1000 square foot house with 30 people and feed them all.” He said she and her husband were ahead of their time. They were partners in everything. She actually outranked him at the shoe factory. They tended a huge garden, canned,  cleaned the house, and everything together. 

“It was the most equal or egalitarian relationship you’ve ever known. In the 1950s  they lived this way. No one can ever remember them having an argument that lasted more than four or five seconds, and they would kiss at the end. They were soulmates.” JS passed away in 2002. 

Maxie remained in the family home in Union City until she was 89, when she was moved to Texas to live with her daughter after having mini-strokes. She remained with Wanda and her husband, Orbie, for about eight years. As her health declined, requiring more care for her safety, Maxie moved into a skilled nursing facility in Texas before later being transferred to Eaglecrest

Tom and his grand daughter Trinity, live in Melbourne, and together, the family researched the best facilities for Maxie and, ultimately, selected Eaglecrest. 

Maxie has regular visitors. Her niece Patty Ann comes to visit her every day except Saturday. “She is like her substitute daughter,” Matthew said of her.

Among Maxie’s best childhood memories were of going to dances and listening to fiddle playing on Saturdays and waking up to pull weeds from the cotton patch on Sunday. She loves chocolate and her family is her biggest source of pride. 

Floyd said his mom was known for so many things, but laughingly said, a fly swatter was one thing she was known for. “She would come at you with it,” he laughed. The other siblings agreed.

The smile on her face and the gleam in Maxie’s eyes was worth all the effort the staff put in for her party as she proudly visited with each relative. The staff and her daughter, Wanda, asked her to recite one of her funny sayings that she has not ever forgotten, despite her age and slight dementia.

“I got a cousin in Arkansas, and his name is Essaw. He’s got a saw that will outsaw anyone’s saw. If you ever saw a saw that would outsaw Essaw’s saw, you saw more than I ever saw.” She laughed and said, “My daddy drilled that in me. I had a good daddy, a really good daddy.”

“We are truly one family here caring for someone else’s, and I think that speaks volumes for our staff. We love Miss Maxie,” said Maggie Cannon, Eaglecrest Administrator.