Photo courtesy of Mildred Scott
Annie “Lock” Jeter Lee celebrated her 100th birthday with a party at Mill Creek Baptist Church on April 27 (her actual birthday was May 5).
Mrs. Lee is the last of the third generation of Jeters of Jeter Farm in Bonsack. She was born and raised in the home that her dad, Jacob, was born and raised in, located on Route 460. Her mother was Hattie Brugh from Nace and taught at Cloverdale School.
Annie is known as “Lock” to family and close friends. According to her daughter, Anne Wagner, Annie received the nickname from her brother, Max. When she was in elementary school the primer book had the rhyme “Lucy Lockett lost her pocket, Penny Fender found it.”
“Max was helping her with her lessons when she was reading Lucy Lockett; she continuously would say Lucy “Lock” and he continued to correct her. After many times Max told her, ‘If you say Lucy Lock one more time, I am going to call you Lock.’ And from that day she has been called Lock. She even receives mail addressed to “Lock Lee,” said daughter Anne.
“Mother worked on the farm when and where she was needed, from picking squash or wiping tomatoes to selling peaches, cantaloupes, and watermelons on the roadside stand at the farm. She also was an avid gardener. In the summer she always had a garden, using a tiller to cultivate it. She planted enough so she was able to give away what was not used by her family. However, about four years ago she had an aortic valve replacement and that put an end to her big gardening. This was not her choice; it was her doctor’s decision.
“When she was not gardening, she was quilting. She enjoys quilting so much that there is not a family member who does not have a quilt or two, plus many friends. She entered quilts in quilt shows and usually came home with ribbons.
“Mother is blessed that she is able to continue to live on the farm that she loves so dearly. She is a member of the Botetourt County DAR.”
She has two daughters, Anne Marie Lee Wagner and Judy Lee; two grandchildren, Paula and Jacob; and three great-grandchildren, Alexis, Brooklyn and Cora.
Congressman Ben Cline attended the birthday celebration, which was arranged by her daughters.
~ Submitted by Anne Lee Wagner
