MASSILLON − Anna Mae Cummings is a one-woman pancake assembly line.
Manning two griddles, she expertly turns each flapjack as it turns golden brown.
On this day, she’ll make well over 100, part a free bi-monthly “drive-through” breakfast hosted by Grace United Church of Christ at 933 Main Ave. W.
“I don’t count ’em, I just make ’em,” she said.
Cummings, who will turn 100 on Sept. 5, has been a beloved and integral part of the church’s volunteer crew since 1947.
“They’re planning a big party for me,” she said with a smile. “I taught Sunday school and helped with festivals, whatever we had on the tarmac. We’ve just gotta keep busy.”
Cummings, a native of Bellaire, and her family moved to Massillon when she was a teen.
“My dad was looking for work; he got hired at Ecko,” she said. “It was my sophomore year. I knew I was going to die that summer because I didn’t know a soul, then imagine going to a new high school. But one girl in one of my classes took me under her wing. She was so nice. That made things so pleasant.”
Born during the Roaring ’20s
When Cummings was born in 1926, Calvin Coolidge was president.
The decade was “roaring” as average Americans grew prosperous. Inflation was at 1.1%, and the annual median income was $1,450. The average home went for $4,500. The country fell in love with radio, jazz, the newly completed Route 66 and the stock market. Prohibition was in place, fueling the rise of the speakeasy and “bathtub” gin. Black Americans were in exodus from the Jim Crow south, as millions headed to northern cities in search of safety and jobs.
According to the Pew Research Center and the U.S. Bureau of the Census, there are approximately 100,000 people living in American who are age 100 and older. That number is expected to quadruple to 422,000 people by 2054.
Cummings said she met her late husband, Donald, nicknamed “Jim,” while working at a dairy store after school.
“He lived right down the street. He came in to show me some pictures of his new girlfriend. I’d gone steady with his cousin for four years,” she recalled with a smile.
Cummings said they married on her 21st birthday, Sept. 5, 1947. She left her family’s church and joined her husband’s congregation, the former United Brethren Church, which is now Grace United Church of Christ. The church’s pastor these days is the Rev. Karen McEwen.
“They’re friendly,” she said of her fellow members. “We love one another. We’re family, and I honestly believe that, I really do. I enjoy coming on Sunday or whenever I come because I get to see all these people, and then there’s a group of those 10 of us that go out to eat once a week if we can make it.”
Cummings is part of a “breakfast team” that includes Sandy Groff, Pat Close, Beth Fete, Paula Corbin, Kim Kennedy, Pat Bushman, John and Barb Kanney and Rich and Sandy Mazon.
‘The most faithful member we have’
“We cannot have an event without Anna Mae,” Pat Close said. “While 100 isn’t as unusual as it used to be, what’s special about Anna Mae is that she’s so active in so many areas of our church. She is easily the most faithful member we have.”
Sandy Mazon describes Cummings as “very happy and positive.”
“She runs circles around all of us,” Barb Kanney said. “She’s even in charge of our rummage sale.”
Rich Mazon teased that his friend “is an angel with horns.”
Cummings said the church is different than when she was a young mother of three. It has gone from hundreds of members, she said, to only about 20 to 30 regulars.
“It was wonderful. We had seats in the aisles,” she said. “I brought my babies with me and fed them their bottles.”
She noted that unlike most mainline churches, nondenominational congregations such as RiverTree Christian Church seem to be growing by leaps and bounds.
“And from what I heard, they took out the pews, put tables and chairs in; you can bring your coffee in and dress any way you want to,” she said. “They have a lot of music and I don’t know what all, but they have two or three services. Things have changed, that’s for sure. The young people like it and that’s what we need − young people.”
The retired nurse lives with her son, Bill, in the same home the family has owned since 1960. She admits her faith was sorely tested following the death of her daughter, Judy Wagner, at age 60 in Florida. She also has a second daughter, Jackie Stoner.
“I lost it completely,” she said. “When I came back, I told the pastor and our Bible study group that I didn’t want to hear it mentioned. I was torn to pieces. She was a lovely person. (My faith) gradually came back, but I still have questions, I have to admit that. But I think anybody that has faith has questions.”
Cummings said that for her, Christianity is simple.
“Love your neighbor as yourself. Be kind to one another. Don’t hold a grudge,” she said. “Those things are the gospel to me.”
A great-great-grandmother whose parents lived until their 90s, Cummings was asked for her secret to longevity.
“Just keep busy, just keep busy,” she said. “Run on ahead of it.”
Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @cgoshayREP.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: ‘Just keep busy.’ Massillon church volunteer staying active at 100
Reporting by Charita M. Goshay, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Charita M. Goshay, Canton Repository | USA TODAY Network
