A metro Atlanta great-great-grandmother celebrated a milestone birthday on Wednesday, and she did at work! Daycare worker Annie Lee Gable turned 90.
For the children of Little People's Corner Daycare in Canton, it was Halloween. But for Gable, it was just another work day. After passing out candy to the kids, she went to her sewing room.
She took a break to fold a little laundry and hold a couple of babies. It's a lot to do for a woman who is 90 years old.
Gable says her husband died in 1989, and she doesn't like sitting at home doing nothing.
"And I love to come to work, and I love all the little children," said Gable.
For more than 20 years, she has been reporting for duty faithfully every day. One of Gable's bosses, Frankie Coker, says she wouldn't have it any other way.
Coker and Tammy Cantrell are her bosses. They say they've tried several times to get Gable to retire.
"We were like, maybe it's getting to that time Annie Lee, but she said, ‘No, no, no, I can still keep kids.' So we've just kind of changed her role a little bit," said Coker
Instead of having her own room full of children, she now helps out the teachers who do. She also sews all of the aprons and bibs for the children, and repairs the occasional toy casualty.
"They bring them up here, they rip. But you can't sew it on the sewing machine, you got to sew it with my fingers," said Gable.
"We make her feel needed so that helps her and keeps her going," said Cantrell.
Gable has five children, 14 grandchildren 27 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great-grandchildren, and the kids who see her every day at work are just as important to her.
Gable is not all work and no play. She loves to travel and she's been to Hawaii and Australia in recent years. For her 90th birthday, her children are taking her on a cruise.
