TULLAHOMA, Tenn.— February 20, 20206— Four women over the age of 100 are sharing daily life together at Morning Pointe of Tullahoma Assisted Living.
Grace Caps, 106, Jean Sanders, 100, Mittie Yarbo, 101, and Irma Troxler, 102, represent more than four centuries of combined life experience. Between them are stories of farm life, wartime service, small-town businesses, travel across continents, and generations of family history.
Grace Caps recently celebrated her 106th birthday and has been a resident of Morning Pointe of Tullahoma Assisted Living for seven years. Born January 9, 1920, she grew up on a Kansas farm before settling in Tullahoma with her late husband, James. She worked for the War Price Control Board and later traveled extensively, visiting all 50 states and several continents. Mrs. Caps is a member of Tullahoma First Methodist Church and has two children.
Jean Sanders has called Morning Pointe home since 2019. Raised in Norfolk, Virginia, she married her husband, William “Bill” Sanders, in 1946. The couple made Tullahoma their home, where Bill owned and operated Builders Supply for many years. Mrs. Sanders was a homemaker devoted to raising their two daughters and one son. She will celebrate her 101st birthday on June 15 and remains a member of Tullahoma First Methodist Church.
Mittie Yarbo will celebrate her 102nd birthday on March 21. One of nine children, she grew up on a farm and married George Yarbo, a dairy farmer, in 1947. The couple owned and operated a dairy farm in Paris, Tennessee, where Mrs. Yarbo also worked for the USDA Farm Service Agency. After retirement, they relocated to Dyersburg. Mrs. Yarbo has been a resident of Morning Pointe of Tullahoma Assisted Living for six years.
Irma Troxler is 102 and will turn 103 on November 5. She moved to Morning Pointe in 2019. Mrs. Troxler grew up in Wartrace and later settled in Tullahoma with her late husband, John. During World War II, she worked at the POW camp at Camp Forrest while her husband worked for the railroad. Mrs. Troxler is featured in the Wartrace documentary Wartrace, A Living Soul and remains active in her faith community at Kings Cross Church.
While their life paths are different, their present is shared. They gather for meals, attend activities, celebrate birthdays, and continue forming friendships well into their second century of life.
Reaching 100 is a milestone. Sharing that chapter alongside three other centenarians is something few communities experience.
About Morning Pointe Senior Living
Founded in 1997 by healthcare entrepreneurs Greg A. Vital and J. Franklin Farrow, Morning Pointe Senior Living operates assisted living and Alzheimer’s memory care communities in five southeastern states, including AL, GA, IN, KY & TN. For more information, visit morningpointe.com.
The philanthropic arm of Morning Pointe Senior Living is the Morning Pointe Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to provide clinical scholarships and caregiver support.
