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Home > Archive > Mar 20, 2008

Still Young At Heart
By Cami Cox
Staff Writer
She was born in 1904, but Faye Allington celebrated her 26th birthday this year. That's because Faye was born on Leap Day.
“I had a birthday, but it wasn't in the calendar, and I thought I was getting cheated!” she said.
A resident of St. George for the past 23 years, Faye celebrated 104 years and 26 birthdays with her friends and family at The Meadows Retirement Community on Feb. 29.
Though no longer a spring chicken – her hearing and eyesight aren't what they once were, grandson Art Allington said – Faye still has a sharp memory and a lighthearted sense of humor, and, for a 104-year-old, she's still very healthy.
“She takes vitamins and minerals and stuff like that. She still has her own teeth – that amazes people,” Art Allington said.
Faye, one of The Meadows' original residents, came to St. George in the 1980s with her late husband, Arthur Allington, and has lived in the retirement home ever since.
“Nobody wants me anywhere else, that's all!” she joked.
But that's not quite true. Faye's children, two of whom reside in northern California, have tried for years to get their mother to move closer to family, but to no avail – nothing has been able to separate their mom from her Southern Utah home.
“I love it here. This is really home,” Faye said. “It's a wonderful place.”
Over more than a century of life, Faye has seen many changes in the world. As a schoolgirl, she drove a horse and buggy to get to class – many years before automobiles became the norm. She even remembers seeing her first paper money, rather than silver dollars.
“I thought that little green piece of paper, how cute it was, so pretty,” she said. “I wanted to keep it as a souvenir.”
A lifelong optimist, it has been Faye's upbeat attitude – along with her good health habits – that has contributed to her longevity.
“She's always been inspirational,” Art Allington said. “Her very positive attitude is also one of the contributing factors to her staying as healthy as she is. She's always been a very positive person. If it's raining, she'll find good in it. If anything happens, she'll always find the good in it – the glass is half-full, not half-empty.”
With that chipper approach to life and her simple maxim for health and wellness – Faye is in the habit of eating well, avoiding sweets and practicing moderation in all things – this St. George woman is doing well, and her spirits are high as she heads into her 104th/26th year.
Faye is well loved at The Meadows by both the staff and the residents there, and she's an inspiration and a source of encouragement to all those around her, Art Allington said.
“She's always been there to help people. She's always been a person who encourages other people, and therein lies the cornerstone of inspiration – encouragement,” he said.
He and his family members are currently researching to find out whether Faye is the oldest resident of Washington County. Whether she is or not, she is certainly the oldest resident at The Meadows, and Faye has pinpointed the secret of her long life to one simple thing:
“Just being me is all,” she said.

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