By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
Ruby Merritt got 16 telephone calls on Saturday.
With 39 family members already in town to celebrate her 100th birthday, that’s quite a few, she said.
Merritt is the matriarch of a large family, with four children, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. On Sunday, her family threw her 100th birthday party at Captain John’s Dockside Restaurant, and family members came from as far away as California, Pennsylvania and Germany to celebrate.
Thirty of them came to church with her at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church on Sunday.
“If they don’t love me, they’re hypocrites,†she said. “They sure act like they love me.â€
They held the party at Captain John’s because Merritt celebrated her 95th birthday there, and the owner of the restaurant promised if she lived to be 100 he’d bake her a cake, which he did.
Born in Chatham County, Merritt has lived in Carrboro for more than 25 years. She lived in Chapel Hill before that, helping her husband, Eben Merritt, with Merritt’s Store, which he ran for nearly 50 years.
Merritt met her husband in Chapel Hill through his sister, who attended Chapel Hill High School with her. After graduating from Chapel Hill High in 1925, Merritt went to UNC for one year.
“I went to UNC one year and got my “Mrs.†degree,†Merritt said, laughing.
The two were married in June of 1926 at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, where she has been a member for more than 80 years.
Merritt recalls downtown Chapel Hill differently from how it stands today, though she says she doesn’t go downtown much anymore.
“At least we didn’t have any bars,†she said. “Sutton’s [Drug Store] was a gathering place.â€
Carrboro, she added, is “so different†from how she remembers it from when she was growing up.
“I remember that it was a mill town,†she said. “I didn’t come enough to even remember.â€
Her husband died of a heart attack in 1981. The two had been married for 55 years.
“I wish it had been longer,†she said.
When Merritt’s husband died, she moved to Carrboro.
“I moved here in order to be close to my daughters, and to aggravate them,†she said with a smile. “That’s why the Lord has let me live so long.â€
100 years young
Merritt attributes her longevity to laughter, family and clean living.
“I enjoy laughing,†she said. “It says in proverbs, laughter does good like medicine, and I firmly believe that.â€
Merritt has a photo of her two daughters and herself at the beach in Cherry Grove, S.C. in t-shirts screen-printed with women’s bodies clad in tiny bikinis.
“You see, we’re a fun group,†she said.
One of Merritt’s daughters, Clarice Page, said she had the photo made into birthday cards.
“Inside, I wrote, ‘Age is a matter of attitude,’†Page said.
Merritt also stressed the importance of living a clean life.
“I wasn’t perfect,†she said. “But I attempted to be.â€
Merritt said she also believes her involvement in her church has kept her going.
At Mt. Carmel, Merritt taught Sunday school for more than 50 years and played the piano for more than 70.
“I had to stop a few months for four babies,†she said, adding that she would bring her babies with her to church and lay them on pillows on the bench.
Life’s challenges
When asked what the most difficult challenge in life is, Merritt doesn’t miss a beat.
“Rearing children properly,†she said. “I think that’s the biggest problem that people have today.â€
“Teachers cannot do it all,†she continued, adding that three of her four children were teachers.
“We’re just one big faculty meeting when we get together,†said Page, who was a teacher at Carrboro Elementary School.
Merritt’s mother was also a teacher and her father built a one-room schoolhouse that still stands in Chatham County, so education has played a large part in her life.
In particular, Merritt has always loved music, which led her to become the first woman to drive in Chatham County.
When she was 12, she took music lessons. Her father ran a sawmill, and driving her the five miles to her lessons would have meant shutting it down to leave. So, much to the chagrin of her mother, her father taught her to drive on the old country roads near their home.
“My mother had a fit,†she said. But Merritt drove herself to her lessons, and because there were only two other cars in the county at that time, everyone knew who she was when they saw her coming. When people approached her on horses or in buggies, they would slow down to give 12-year-old Ruby a wide berth on the narrow dirt roads.
Merritt continued to drive until she was 93.
Family time
Family is clearly very important to Merritt; she has photos of her many family members throughout her home.
“I’m proud of all my family,†she said.
For nearly 50 years, Merritt’s family has traveled to Cherry Grove for a family week at the beach, and Merritt looks forward to another trip this summer.
“We have such a good time,†she said. “It’s just so much pleasure.â€
Merritt said that while her family isn’t perfect, they always manage to get along.
“I don’t mean we agree on everything, but we just laugh about it and let it go.â€
After 100 years, Merritt said she thinks her family is part of what’s kept her going.
“To me, the most important thing on this earth is a functional family,†she said. “Maybe that’s why I’ve lived so long, because it’s a loving family.â€
At her birthday party on Sunday, Merritt quoted Minnie Pearl: “I’m just so proud to be here.â€
Happy 100th Birthday Ruby! I hope I am as lucky & get to spend my 100th birthday with my family, like you. My birthday is April 25, 1957. I did get to spend my 52nd birthday with my daughters & grandchildren. I hope to see you on here next year!