MACON, Ga. — An Eastman woman is celebrating a special milestone today.
Flora Mae White was born on Dec. 12, 1915, and she's known Georgia all her life.
She's celebrating her 108th birthday and her family believes she's the oldest living woman in central Georgia.
White was born in Eatonton, but was raised by her aunt and uncle in Eastman. She had three brothers and two sisters, and she was the oldest of all of them.
"The lord blessed me with everything," White said. "I had good times, and my good times always outweighed my hard times."
Growing up in Eastman, she says her family owned a plantation farm in Dodge County and they farmed cotton, vegetables and bred cows, which was rare for African Americans during the early 1900s.
After her mom passed when she was 12 years old, Flora had to quit school to take care of her siblings and worked at a canning factory to keep up the house.
Fast-forward to now, she's lived a life filled with love and family and she got to celebrate with them over the weekend.
"It made me feel good," White said, "I was glad to have family around, I just missed my brothers and sisters."
Cherri Lavender is her granddaughter and she said her grandmother is the matriarch in the family who has overcome a lot just to be here today.
"I've never known anyone her age 108 and I think that she has reached tremendous milestones," Lavender said. "She has always been a giver, she's always been the one that you go to and she was always the shortest one but the feistiest one."
So, what's Flora Mae White's secret to staying so young?
"Treat people right and you'll live a long time. You have to give up your right to live and I cried many days," she said. "Sometimes I was wrong and sometimes I was right, but I've lived a good blessed life."
Family, friends, and staff members at Pruitt Health Peake celebrated her birthday over the weekend.
White said she's blessed to see 108 and is looking forward to spending more time with her family.