Rock Hill woman celebrates 103rd birthday

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Few are blessed to live as long as Sarah Ackerman.

“I guess we just have to realize that everybody gets old,” said Ackerman.

On Wednesday Mrs. Ackerman turned 103 years old.

“A lot of people out in the community when they see someone like you who’s 103 years old today and by the way you don’t look a day past 102, 75,” said Ackerman.

As you might have guess humor is one of her secrets to a long life.

On Wednesday residents of Harbor Chase of Riverwalk threw her a birthday party complete with chocolate cake one of her favorite deserts.

“That is just a miracle to me that they wanted to do that, I’m not very what would you call it, used to such attention,” said Ackerman.

In the 50′s Sarah and her husband George, opened Ackerman’s Style Center a clothing store in downtown Fort Mill and operated it from 1954 to 1984.

Her kids told us she was a wonderful cook and she told me she learned from her mother and there was an unusual dish she liked.

“The insides of an animal they would clean them off and stuff them and cook them that’s a big thing. Sounds like what we would call chitterlings? You cook them though. Oh you’re cooking them,” said Ackerman.

Ackerman is active today she used to take swimnastic classes up until she turned 101years old.

One of the things she would like to learn how to do is play pool but I don’t know if I would feel confident competing against her.

“They say that’s what every pool hustler says that they don’t know how to play? That’s right, and then all of a sudden you are broke playing that person? I believe they are right,” said Ackerman.

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