Some people, when they reach a significant birthday milestone, prefer to keep the occasion low-key, without a lot of fanfare.

  But Flora Dodd of Stockbridge is not most people. She celebrated her 100th birthday with a party Saturday at First Baptist Church of Stockbridge, with more than 350 people cheering her on.

  Dodd, who reached the century mark on November 1, entered a banquet hall at the church on a motorcycle to kick off the party. Guests visited with the birthday girl and had their pictures taken with her.

  She said she was overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from her family and friends.

  “They’ve come here from Arizona, Maryland, Florida, everywhere,” she said. “I can’t hardly believe it.”

  Dodd was born on November 1, 1918, which was 10 days before the end of World War I. Her son, Randy, noted that his mother has lived under the administration of 18 different presidents, from Woodrow Wilson all the way to Donald Trump.

  “She was born during Babe Ruth’s fourth year in the Major Leagues,” said son, Randy Dodd. “Less than half of the homes in the United States had electricity at the time she was born.”

  Randy said his mother couldn’t wait to celebrate her birthday with her family and friends.

  “We told her back in January that we were going to plan a big party,” he said. “She’s been excited every day, looking forward to it for a whole year.”

  Flora Dodd grew up on a farm in Stone Mountain. She and her late husband, Toy, were married 43 years before his passing in 1990. Theirs was a union that yielded two kids, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

  Flora Dodd lived in Atlanta for years, working in the printing industry before moving to Henry County in 1963.

  Her son emphasized that Dodd’s relationship with God has been a “significant part of her life” for decades.

  “I remember being taken to church every Sunday when I was a child,” said Randy. “She’s been a committed believer, and it was because of her influence that I was in church long enough to become influenced by the gospel and become a Christian, a missionary and a pastor.”

  Flora Dodd currently lives at The Palms of Lake Spivey. Her daughter, Jan Williams of McDonough, said Dodd’s love of life is evident whenever she has an opportunity for adventures with her friends.

  “She still goes all the time,” said Williams. “They take day trips, and she’s always the first one to sign the book. She wants to go, she’s going. Her friends say, ‘Aren’t you tired?’ She says, ‘I don’t get tired.’”

  Williams described her mother as a person who loves everyone she meets. She added that Dodd continues to be as active as possible, despite her age.

  “My theory is, to have a friend, you’ve got to be a friend, and she has been a friend to many people, said Williams. “She doesn’t feel 100, she doesn’t look 100, she doesn’t act 100. She said, ‘I don’t feel any different.’ She’s amazing.”

  Dodd’s oldest granddaughter, Heidi Mixon, came all the way from Arizona for the birthday celebration. Mixon also spent more than an hour snapping photos of people who wanted to share the honoree’s moment with her.

  “She means the world to me,” said Mixon. “She’s one of my best friends. We talk on the phone every week.”

  Mixon said she is continually amazed at her grandmother’s ability to draw big crowds for her birthday celebrations. She said it is a testament to the lives that Dodd has touched over the last 100 years.

  “She had 100 people at her 80th birthday, 250 people at her 90th, and about 350 at this one,” said Mixon. “What I don’t understand is that she attends about an average of two funerals a month, and that’s for 10 years. The math doesn’t add up, that she would then have more people at her 100th. She just knows how to make friends.”

  During Saturday’s party, Mixon shared a video from six years ago, when she stayed with her grandmother for a week. The video shows Dodd laughing hysterically after playing a prank on Mixon.

  Mixon said before the video was taken, she had talked on the phone with her family for 45 minutes without knowing Dodd was still awake.

  “As I rounded the corner, she was sitting on the floor and reached out and grabbed my leg,” said Mixon. “I screamed so loud, and she was laying on the floor, and I thought, ‘I’ve never seen my granny laugh so hard in her life.’”

  Guests at the party erupted in laughter upon seeing the video.

  One of those guests, Dr. Gene Crumbley of McDonough, has known Toy and Flora Dodd since the late 1960s when they attended church together in Stockbridge. Crumbley called Flora Dodd a “gracious, gentle, loving person.”

  “She’s a little bit older than I,” said Crumbley. “She’s celebrating her 100th, and I just had my 90th. When we were in church together, my wife and I were much younger, but they were so gracious with their friendship there. Also, I think we were at their home a few times to have dinner. Just very gracious and great people, she and her husband both.”

  Several people at the party shared their memories of Flora Dodd. The party also included a raffle, in which the winner received a pair of pillowcases made by her.

  She expressed her appreciation for everyone who helped to put the party together.

  “They have worked so hard and done so much for me,” said Dodd. “It can’t be numbered.”

  As for the secret to living a long life, the centenarian said that’s a question for someone else.   “The Lord can only know,” said Dodd. “He’s got a reason for it.”