Lovely ‘live wire’

Even at age 98, Dorotha Horton can really jam out. In fact, that’s what she calls her music — her jams.

“I started playing when I was about 12 years old — got my first mandolin,” Horton said.

Horton, who lives at Homestead Assisted Living and Memory Care in Osceola, had her beloved mandolin sitting on her bed. Horton likes all types of music, especially Hawaiian and Irish songs.

When her hands are feeling good, she can play a song at the drop of a hat.

“She is so much fun,” said Casey Spoelstra, activity director at Homestead. “She is a live wire, she is.”

Clarke County childhood

Horton has lived in Osceola and the Clarke County area for the majority of her life. A childhood in the early 20th century is certainly different than what it is like in the 21st century.

“People were so poor then,” Horton said. “We never got to go anywhere. I just knew where we lived and where to get to school at.”

This was the era of the country schools, which is what Horton attended. She recalled when many of the roads in Clarke County were mud roads. Another memory of Horton’s is how happy her father was when Highway 34 was paved.

“He was so tickled,” Horton said.

Horton only went through the eighth grade for her education. She didn’t go to high school. This was common at the time, especially when children were expected to help full time on the family farm after a certain age, as in Horton’s case.

Farm living

When talking about growing up on a farm, Horton’s face lit up.

“I liked it,” she said. “It’s the best place to raise kids. Sure, many things for them to do and learn and experience on the farm that you don’t get to in town.”

Hours were spent milking cows, farming grain and raising chickens, cows, ducks, hogs and calves.

Horton got married in 1933 and pointed out she was a young bride. This was also the time of the height of the Great Depression.

As a young woman accustomed to farm life, Horton considered herself fortunate because her family could raise their meat and churn their own butter.

“We all got along very well,” she said. “We never went cold or hungry. We just worked hard and burned wood and milked cows. We had a good time.”

Horton and her husband Don had six children — two boys and four girls.

Lasting marriage

The couple was married for 68 years. That’s almost unheard of nowadays.

According to Horton, the secret to a long and successful marriage is for two people to respect each other. There will always be fights throughout the years, but it’s important to always be kind, especially with words.

“You got to be friends and like each others disposition,” Horton said. “He was real quiet and I was noisy, so it worked out fine. I made all the racket. You got to work together.”

Horton’s husband has since passed away. However, sitting on the top of a shelf in Horton’s room at Homestead are two pictures of the couple right next to each other.

Life at Homestead

This is Horton’s third year at Homestead, and she is the third oldest person at the facility.

According to Spoelstra, what people see with Horton is what they get. She said Horton is always on the go and up for activities.

“She is very sharp,” Spoelstra said. “She told me once … she stayed so young because she was always busy. She never stopped being ornery. She’s a lot of fun though.”

In February 2014, Horton was named the Valentine’s Day queen at Homestead Assisted Living. A coronation ceremony was held during the lunchtime hour on Feb. 14.

“That was fun. Of course, I had a nephew who said, ‘Remember, it’s just for one day, not a lifetime,’” Horton said while laughing.

Currently, Horton is also the Red Hat Queen at Homestead, which is the facility’s version of the Red Hat Society.

“Trouble” is the good-natured nickname Horton has earned at Homestead. Spoelstra lovingly attributed the name to Horton’s orneriness.

“Dorotha is like a ray of sunshine coming out of there,” Spoelstra said. “Nothing stops Dorotha.”

With being less than two years away from the age of 100, Horton’s mind is still sharp as a tack.

According to Horton, the secret to her longevity is her genetics. Her mother lived to be 98 and a-half.

As for herself, Horton would be fine with someday becoming a centenarian, or a person older than 100.

“If I feel good, it’d be all right,” she said.