Komani resident Betty Roux, marked a significant milestone on Saturday March 8, when she celebrated her 100th birthday surrounded by loved ones at The Gallery Restaurant.
A pe-birthday celebration in the company of friends was held at her residence – Madeira Old Age Home – in Top Town, on Friday March 7.
Born on March 8 1925, Roux expressed her astonishment at reaching the century mark, saying, “I don’t feel my age, and I just can’t believe it. My youngest child is 62, and my second-born is 75 years old. When my second-born told me he was 75, I said I must be 100 years old – I couldn’t be younger.”
Her health is up to scratch and has good sight and a good memory.
“I saw the doctor a little while ago, he came to me here and said, ‘why don’t you visit me?’. I said, I will visit you when I get sick … I haven’t been sick. He said I should come for a lung test. He took blood tests, and my lungs, heart, and liver results came back ok.
I had no infection. I survived through Covid-19 and I never went out during that time.”
Roux said one of her secrets to longevity is maintaining a healthy diet.
“I have my chicken salad regularly, I love fresh potato chips, and I finish my plate of food.”
Despite her remarkable health, Roux admitted that her legs have been a source of discomfort, confining her to a wheelchair and she is relying on a hearing aid.
However, she remains optimistic and credits her stress-free lifestyle as a key factor to her longevity.
She believes living a stress-free life has contributed significantly to her living a long life.
Roux shared her philosophy on modern-day stress, saying, “it’s not necessary to stress. I let things pass, because there’s nothing you can do. What is there to stress about when you’re my age? I used to stress a lot, but I realised it doesn’t help.”
Instead, Roux turns to her faith for comfort and guidance. “I turn to my religion, and I pray to God. When I have a problem, I forget about it. What keeps me alive is the Jabez prayer, which I pray every day in the book of Chronicles in the Bible.”
She has never had anyone in her family live up to 100 years. Roux said her mother was 80 when she died, her sister passed on at 89, and her brother at 80.
As she celebrated her milestone birthday, she took a moment to remember her husband and son, who have since departed.
My husband Johnny died at 75. He looked at me on that day and said, ‘goodbye, my love. Sorry to leave you.’ Those were his last words to me. My eldest son, Dawid died, and left his mother behind.”
Roux’s family has grown significantly over the years, with four great-grandchildren and six grandchildren, bringing immense joy to her life.
“It’s wonderful to have great-grandchildren. I love them to bits, and I follow how they’re progressing at school,” she said.
André, 75, the second born who was present at the celebration said younger brother, Johan, and children Johan and Jacques Roux had moved to Australia.
When asked if he knew he would still have a mother at his age, André said, “I knew it was coming. Because my mother has had a happy life. Her children were not naughty; we never gave her any problems, so she had no one to stress about. If you want your parents to live longer, don’t stress them [out].”
Roux’s great-grandchildren, Crystal Nepgen and Mia Roux, were also present at the celebration. They expressed their gratitude for having a great-grandmother like Roux and hoped to follow in her footsteps by reaching 100 years themselves one day.
By ABONGILE SOLUNDWANA