In a room crowded with well-wishers, Rachel Patterson celebrated her 106th birthday June 18 with two birthday cakes at St. John Towers.
“She loves people. She loves life,” said Patterson’s daughter, Debbe Jackson.
Born in Blackstone, Va., Patterson has lived a storied life. She once dated a member of the Rockefeller family and was a debutante, according to her daughter. Not one to shy away from adventure, she traveled to Italy for her 92nd birthday and rode a rollercoaster at Dollywood not once but twice when she was 96.
During her Italy birthday trip, they were offered an alcoholic beverage and warned that it wasn’t for the faint of heart because it offered quite the burn. While others passed on it, Patterson tried it with gusto, Jackson recalled.
An extrovert, Patterson never meets a stranger.
“We never have gone anywhere that we didn’t know everything about someone five minutes after meeting them,” she said.
That outgoing nature used to embarrass Jackson when she was younger, but she’s come to appreciate it and she said her children and grandchildren have always thought Patterson was a lot of fun.
Employees at St. John Towers agreed about her affable nature.
“She likes to crack jokes,” said Hunter Holley resident services manager. Patterson gave him a hard time Tuesday because of his beard, asking him when he was going to shave it and trying to enlist the help of others to convince him he should.
He just laughed.
“I told her I might grow it long and become Santa Claus,” he said.
The youngest of eight children, Patterson has lived more years than any of her siblings although one of her sisters died at 103. And despite her age, Patterson has no physical ailments except some hearing loss.
“Her doctor said she’s in absolutely perfect health,” Jackson said.
While genetics likely played a factor in her longevity, Jackson said her mother always tried to take care of herself by walking and eating right.
But on June 18, Patterson enjoyed a slice of her birthday cake.
A California woman, Maria Branyas Morera is the oldest, documented living person. Born in San Francisco, she celebrated her 117 birthday on March 4, according to multiple news outlets.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years and is a Georgia Press Association award winner. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
