Barbara Upperman of McDonough describes her mother, Jennie “Mitz” Pullen-Richard, as a “pistol.” One example of this, said Upperman, came when she heard someone utter words she had regarded as her own until then.

  “She was very upset when she saw somebody on TV saying, ‘age is just a number,’” said Upperman. “She said, ‘that’s my saying!’ She’s been saying that for 10 years, and she couldn’t believe somebody said it on TV. Her favorite saying is, ‘Age is just a number, and mine’s unlisted.’”

  Pullen-Richard recently marked her 97th birthday with a parade of well-wishes from family and friends.

  She was born on February 3, 1924, to her parents, Adam and Birdia Townsend, and grew up in North Carolina. The last of 12 children in her family, she graduated from Peabody High School in High Point, N.C.

  Pullen-Richard said said her initial goal after high school was to pursue a career in education.

  “I wanted to go to college, but my brother convinced my mom that girls didn’t need to go to college,” said Pullen-Richard.

  She married Clemmie Pullen in 1944, and had three children — daughter Upperman, 76; and sons Clem Pullen, 71, of Fayetteville, and Kevin Pullen, 65, of St. Simons Island.

  Upperman emphasized that although her mother didn’t end up teaching, two of her children developed a passion for education on their own. Upperman herself is a retired educator, and Kevin Pullen is a teacher in Brunswick, Ga.

  Pullen-Richard started working at a Bristol-Myers plant in New Jersey in 1948. She retired from the company as a supervisor in 1970.

  She and Clemmie Pullen were together for more than 50 years until his death in 1999. She wed her second husband, Norman Richard, in 2003 and they were married for 2 1/2 years until his passing in 2006.

  Pullen-Richard moved from Coweta County two years ago to live with Upperman.

  Upperman acknowledged that her mom has endured her share of health issues in recent years. Pullen-Richard suffered a broken left hip on Christmas Eve of 2019, followed by a broken right hip on Christmas Day of 2020. Shortly after the second injury, she also tested positive for COVID-19.

  Still, Upperman said such trials apparently haven’t robbed her mother of her independence or her spunk.

  “She still enjoys getting pampered, going to get her hair done and her nails done,” said Upperman. “If you asked her what’s the key to being vibrant at 97, she’d reply, ‘Never miss a good, big breakfast. I love my country ham biscuit, grits and coffee. If it’s not hot, I don’t want it!’”

  Upperman said after overcoming the virus, Pullen-Richard was welcomed home from rehab with yard signs, birthday wishes and honking horns to celebrate her birthday.

  “She was so excited,” said Upperman. “She was asking the next day, ‘Are they coming back?’ She said when COVID is over, she wants to travel again.”

  These days, Pullen-Richard’s family also includes eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She loves working on word puzzles, watching football and doing other activities to stay alert.

  Pullen-Richard attended Shiloh Baptist Church in McDonough regularly prior to the advent of COVID-19.

  Upperman said it wasn’t until after her mother became a grandmother for the first time, that she received her unique nickname.

  “Her first grandchild heard somebody say ‘Ms. Jennie,’ and thought they said ‘Mitz,’ and it just stuck,” said Upperman.

  Upperman said her mother has taught her the importance of “keeping family first,” especially during the holidays each year. She recalled one particularly memorable holiday season, when the family flew out of

town for Thanksgiving.

  “She insisted on bringing the entire Thanksgiving dinner on the plane,” said Upperman. “It didn’t fit in the overhead compartments, so they had to put some of it in the cockpit with the pilots. They wanted to know where we were going for dinner when we landed.”

  Upperman said her mom has imparted a different kind of wisdom to her in recent years as well.

  “The biggest thing that I’ve learned over the last two years that she has been with me, is getting all of her secret recipes,” said Upperman. “I’ve learned how to fry corn, make cream cheese pound cake, chocolate

pound cake and German chocolate cake.”

  Upperman expressed her gratitude for the example her mother has been, and for the life she continues to live each day.

  “She is the matriarch of our family and truly a blessing to anyone who she comes in contact with,” said Upperman. “Her testimony is nothing short of a miracle blessing from God.”