On Tuesday, Mae Edmondson will turn 100, marking a century rooted in North Georgia. The milestone was celebrated early with a large gathering of family and friends on Saturday at Wimpy Farms in Dahlonega. Mae’s daughter, Nellie Bracken, who lives in Cleveland, said the day was overwhelming in the best possible way.
“We probably had 140 family and friends there,” Bracken said. “It was huge.”
Relatives and friends traveled from out of state to be part of the celebration, something that deeply touched both mother and daughter. “That meant everything to me and to her,” Bracken said. “It showed how many lives she has touched in her century of living. It showed how much everyone loves her and respects her.”
Mae, who cheerfully admits she “can’t hear good and can’t see good,” soaked in every moment. “I had a good day,” she told Now Habersham. By her family’s account, Mae has had a good life, too, one shaped by family, faith, and a lifelong habit of helping others.
Born before the Great Depression
Born January 6, 1926, in Dahlonega, Mae grew up in the mountains of North Georgia. Her family says those early roots shaped everything that followed. She later settled in Clermont, where she has lived for 67 years, raising three children and growing a family tree that now spans generations.
That tree has weathered deep loss through the century. Mae was widowed at 37 when her husband was killed in a tractor-trailer accident 63 years ago. She never remarried. She devoted her life to raising her children, grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. To make ends meet, Mae cleaned houses and babysat for others.
“She spent her life raising children,” Bracken said.
Mae has endured other heartbreaking losses, including the death of her son Charles at age 59 and the tragic deaths of all three of her grandchildren within 10 years of each other.
“That kind of tragedy would break a lot of people,” Bracken said. “But she just kept going and pouring love into everybody. It shows her strength and resilience. She came back from all that and still has a happy heart and loves life.”
A century of change
Over her 100 years, Mae has lived through enormous change. She grew up during the Great Depression, lived through World War II, and watched everyday life transform as electricity, paved roads, and modern healthcare reached the mountains. She witnessed the Civil Rights Movement, the turbulence of the 1960s, the Cold War, the moon landing, and the shift from radio to television to today’s digital world.
Closer to home, she saw small towns change as farming declined, highways expanded, and North Georgia became more connected. Her life has bridged a simpler past to the fast-moving world she lives in today.
Hard work. Clean living.
If hard work and clean living are what it takes to become a centenarian, it’s no wonder Mae made it this far. Known by many as a pillar of the Clermont community, she spent her golden years caring for elderly neighbors. Even now, Mae still helps her daughter clean a house or two and an office.
“She has always been a hard worker,” Bracken said. “She never drank, never smoked. She always worked, always kept going, always wanted to do things for people. She’s a very godly woman. She loves the Lord and she knows that’s what’s gotten her through all these years.”
At 100, Mae still lives on her own, with family keeping a close watch. She cooks for herself, gets outside, feeds the birds, and tends to her flowers. She also delights in visits from the youngest members of her family, including great-great-grandchildren ages 14, 6, and 9 months.
“When they walk in the room, she lights up,” Bracken said. “She still has her mind, she’s still mobile. It’s just amazing. And if you come to her house, she’s going to feed you,” she added with a laugh.
The open road
When she’s not at home delighting in visits with family and friends, Mae likes to hit the open road. She still enjoys traveling with her daughter, with one firm exception.
“She’ll go anywhere I go, but she will not fly,” Bracken said. “I tell her, ‘Mom, get on a plane at 100 years old — you’d be a legend.’ She won’t do it.”
She never has.
For all the changes Mae Edmonson has experienced and adapted to in her life, she has never flown in an airplane.
‘Such a blessing’
“I’m just give out,” Mae said with a chuckle when asked how she felt after her big birthday celebration. She’ll likely rest a few days before officially reaching the century mark on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
For Bracken, having her mother reach 100 is something she struggles to put into words. “She’s my best friend,” she said. “It’s just amazing that I still have my mother at this age. It’s such a blessing.”
Bracken credits her mother with teaching her what matters most in life.
“She taught me love. She taught me perseverance and what it means to be strong,” she said. “She’s the strongest woman I know. She’s the heart of our family. Her life is a story of resilience and grace.” With a smile in her voice, Mae’s 73-year-old daughter then added, “I want to be just like her when I grow up.”
