Lawrence resident celebrates 105th birthday

By Lilly Adkins

BSN Associate Editor

LOUISA — A Lawrence County woman, Eula Mae Compton Hughes, celebrated her 105th birthday Oct. 18, with a dinner held in her honor at her home on Oct. 23.

Hughes was born Oct. 18, 1916, and married Homer Hughes on June 19, 1931. The couple had 12 children, but three died in infancy. Five are still living, including Eldred Hughes, Phyllis Kline, Fannie Spyers, Joan Frazier and Deborah Perkins.

Hughes also has several grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.

According to her daughter-in-law, Una Hughes, Frazier is Hughes’ caregiver and looks after her mother most of the time.

Una Hughes said her mother-in-law worked some on the side cleaning houses for people, but that she didn’t think she had ever held a steady job outside of taking care of her family.

“She was always a real hard worker and she stayed healthy, never had any real major health problems,” Una Hughes said. “I think that is why she has had such a long life. She always worked hard and stayed healthy.”

Eula Hughes’ sister, Toby Roberts, said there is 22 years’ difference between her and her sister. When she was younger, her sister used to refer to her as her baby, Roberts said.

“She’d say, ‘This is my baby,’” Roberts said. “Every birthday, we always get our picture together because she always says she is the oldest and I am the youngest.

“There was 15 of us,” Roberts said. “There were six boys and nine girls, but there are only six girls left, three in the nursing home, and two of us are active, but Eula doesn’t really carry on a conversation much anymore. One of us is 96, 94, 91, 89, I’m 83 and Eula is 105. With such a big age difference, there was only one time that I can remember that we were all together. We were scattered all over the country. We were raised honest by our parents, Jim and Nola Compton at what is now Rt. 828, but it used to be Pixie Fork.”

Roberts said her sister married Homer Hughes when she was 14 years old and that she had 12 children, with one son and four daughters living.

“She was married for, I think, 69 years, and her husband passed a few years ago,” Roberts said. “She always took care of her family, and she raised a bunch of workers. She and her husband used to be very active in the Senior Citizens and were King and Queen a couple of times. After he retired, they used to travel a lot. They would go to Pigeon Forge three or four times a year; they were there the day Dollywood opened. They had a good life.”

Roberts said her sister used to garden and do a lot of canning and quilting. She was also a Sunday School teacher and sang in the choir at Fallsburg Tabernacle.

“I go visit her when I can, we used to talk on the phone, but now she doesn’t really like talking on the phone,” Roberts said. “She doesn’t hear as well as she used to. She enjoyed her birthday. She sat up all day and ate quite a bit. She’s thankful for the family who came for a visit and all the many cards and calls she received.”