Beulah Huneycutt, who turned 100 years old on Sept. 20, was honored by her family with a party on Sept. 29 at the Locust Community Building.
A life-long resident of Locust, Huneycutt continues to live independently into her second century.

Scotty Johnson, left, speaks with Beulah Huneycutt at her 100th birthday celebration in Locust. (Photo by TOBY THORPE)

“I still live by myself,” she said, as her husband Leonard passed away in 1987.
She is the second centenarian in her family.
“My mother lived to be 102,” she noted, adding that her mom was also an independent soul, similarly eschewing external assistance.
“After mom turned 100, her sister moved in to help take care of her – but mom ran her off,” she laughed.
A nurse for many years, Beulah was a graduate of the Cabarrus College of Health Sciences, attending on a wartime bond during the 1940s before entering the healthcare field.
“I’ve always liked caring for others,” she said. “It was nice when I could bring a smile to my patients’ faces.”
According to nieces Annette and Pam Johnson, their father (Jack, Beulah’s brother) could tell early on that Beulah was destined to be a nurse.
“After we would run through the weeds, she would pick the briars out of our feet and legs,” he said.
Huneycutt’s talent for taking care of others wasn’t limited to her hospital patients, as she raised three sons, Michael, Jimmy and Johnny, plus a daughter, Cathy McSwain.
“I’m proud of all four of them,” she said. “They’ve looked after me, too. And I’m sure happy to have nearly all of my grandchildren here.”
The party, put together not only by her four children, but also her nine grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren, came as quite a surprise to Beulah.
“I sure didn’t expect anything like this,” she said, looking around the crowded community building as friends and well-wishers continued to arrive. “I don’t feel worthy of this.”
And her formula for living 100 years?
“Be good to others, take care of yourself, and try to be happy,” she advised.

Toby Thorpe is a freelance writer for The Stanly News & Press.