HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Frances May West Byers, one of the oldest living people in Virginia, died peacefully on Sept. 7 in Henrico County. She was 111 years old.
Born on Jan. 23, 1915, in Hanover County, Byers lived for several years at Scotchtown, the historic home of Patrick Henry, Virginia's first governor. She moved there around 1920, when she was about 5 years old.
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She's turning 111 and says serving the Lord and bluegrass are secrets to life
Her father and brothers farmed the property, and the family occupied half of the 12-room house.
Byers grew up on a farm before the era of modern grocery stores, raising much of the family's food herself.
Her parents were born in the 19th century, and the family traveled by horse and carriage.
"My mother and father had riding horses. Two black riding horses that you hooked to a buggy or a carriage to carry us places. A carriage when we went to church," she said.
Byers left school at 14 during the Great Depression to go to work, earning $5.50 a week.
She married at 17 and went on to raise 7 children.
Her youngest son, Dan, described her as a family treasure.
"She is a high spirited one who has spent a whole life caring for people and one who has a great love for God, her country, and fellow man," Dan said. "Not a week that goes bad that somebody doesn't come by to talk with her and to gain a greater knowledge of our county history, of our family, or history of the folks that I've lived nearby."
Byers credited her longevity to avoiding alcohol and tobacco, and to her deep religious faith.
"Serving the Lord above everything else. The Commandments. They are Commandments not suggestions," she said.
Her one indulgence was bluegrass music.
"Oh! Guitar and banjo! I love to dance. I love to dance. When that music started my feet went like this. I can dance," she said.
CBS 6 met Byers last year, when she was weeks away from turning 111 — a milestone she said she never expected to reach.
"Feels like it was when I was 109," she said.
At the time of her death, Byers was among an estimated 400 supercentenarians worldwide.
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