What 6 Lowcountry Seniors Know About a Happy Life

Six Lowcountry residents ages 90 to 100 share their hard-earned wisdom on happiness, friendship and finding joy in everyday life.

Story by Marie McCaa

There is something worth celebrating about every birthday, but somewhere between 90 and 100, the candles come with perspective. We asked six Lowcountry residents to look back on the lives they have built and share what they have learned about happiness, what they might have done differently and what deserves a little more celebration. Their answers are funny, thoughtful, poignant and useful at any age.

Ethel “Mother” Rivers lived nearly 105 years on Hilton Head Island, but her prescription for a long life was refreshingly simple: rest your body, make time for faith, think of others, share what you have, treat people as you want to be treated, and always do the right thing the best way you know how. Rivers, a beloved Gullah matriarch and lifelong islander, died Sept. 7, 2023, just weeks shy of her 105th birthday.

Rhoda Shulman, 100

Birth year: 1926
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Current home: The Preston Health Center on the campus of The Cypress of Hilton Head
Happiness: My family and friends.
Life lesson: The secret ingredient to life is living it.
Celebration: I believe good relationships deserve to be celebrated more often.

Maggie Posey, 95

Birth year: 1930
Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa
Current home: TidePointe, Hilton Head Island
Happiness: Three things: curiosity, acceptance and health. Stay adventurous. Keep wanting to learn new things and meet new people. And, of course, exercise and eat healthy foods.
Life lesson: I wish I had worried less about money. I was born during the Depression, so my parents were always worried about money. Although I have to admit that one of my strengths was a lack of privilege. It made me a stronger person. It taught me the value of hard work. I also wish I had waited longer to get married. I think I would have liked to experience more in life before getting married.
Celebration: I believe the importance of laughter deserves to be celebrated more often. People need to laugh more. A sense of humor is so important. I like to talk to others who have been through the pain of losing a child, and instead of crying, I try to laugh with them over funny memories of their child. I ask, “What is one thing he or she did that stands out?” Before you know it, they are laughing over wonderful memories of their beloved child.

Betsy Perherson, 96

Birth year: 1930
Hometown: East Orange, New Jersey
Current home: The Preston Health Center on the campus of The Cypress of Hilton Head
Happiness: Reaching out to others and making other people smile.
Life lesson: The secret ingredient to life is having a positive outlook and a good attitude. Having the right genes and eating right have helped too.
Celebration: I believe the simple joys of life deserve to be celebrated more often. Recognizing others is important because it’s one of the easiest things we can do. It’s a small act of kindness, but it can change somebody’s day for the better.

Mary Lubeck, 95

Birth year: 1930
Hometown: A small village in Florence County, Wisconsin
Current home: TidePointe, Hilton Head Island
Happiness: This simple truth: Happiness is an inside job. You won’t find it over the rainbow, in another’s arms or by winning the lottery. It’s up to you to create your own cheerful enjoyment of life. Learn to make thoughtful decisions and measured reactions to the vagaries of life. You will then find joie de vivre.
Life lesson: I am at peace with the decisions I made, so I can contemplate only one change: I wish I had kept a diary. What a gift that would be, to sit and read my life memories at this stage of my life.
Celebration: I believe cooperation deserves to be celebrated more often. This beautiful, strong, powerful concept seems underestimated in our culture today. If we practiced more cooperation, there would be fewer accidents, less crime, fewer deaths, more peace and more enjoyment of life. Life is very short. If we could learn to cooperate, that journey would be more memorable and certainly less chaotic. I have a framed quote in my kitchen that reminds me to live life carefully: “Life is serious business.”

Roma Holmes, 94

Birth year: 1931
Hometown: Buchanan, Michigan
Current home: Holiday Indigo Pines, Hilton Head Island
Happiness: Keeping busy and being grateful.
Life lesson: I wish I had worried less about my children. They turned out to be very successful.
Celebration: I believe friends deserve to be celebrated more often.

Elizabeth Stabile, 90

Birth year: 1936
Hometown: Parkchester, Bronx, New York
Current home: Holiday Indigo Pines, Hilton Head Island
Happiness: Finding joy every day and knowing how much there is to be grateful for.
Life lesson: I wish I had realized sooner that everything was going to work out fine.
Celebration: I believe we should celebrate more often how good the ordinary day is.