She turns to stare out the window as a loud car zooms by, rattling her home and briefly interrupting a conversation.
Like most things she’s experienced in her long life, Odessa’s Dorothy Nelms appears unfazed by the distraction.
“I ain’t got time to be mad at nobody,” Nelms says on the eve of her 105th birthday. It’s a motto she’s lived by most of her life.
The Odessa community is invited to join the many friends and family of Dorothy Nelms for a birthday celebration that will kick off with a parade that will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday at Woodson Park, said JoAnn Vasquez, office manager for Meals on Wheels of Odessa, Inc., which is organizing the birthday celebration.
Parade participants will first make their way past Nelms’ home at 219 Bunche Ave., before arriving at nearby King Solomon Church Baptist Church at 6:30 p.m., where food and refreshments will be served and a city proclamation read in honor of the birthday honoree.
“She’s an amazing woman,” Vasquez says of Nelms. “She’s always very kind and still very active in the community.
Organizers are still looking for and inviting more people to participate in the parade, especially bikers, Vasquez said. For more information about the parade or how to volunteer for Meals on Wheels contact Vasquez at 432-333-6451, extension 1.
“Yes, my grandmother does like motorcycles,” says Nelms’ grand-daughter Janice Hodges, who is unable to suppress her laughter. “She was 40 when she started riding motorcycles. She took her last ride 15 years ago.”
Hodges said her grandmother, who raised her, has always been very active. An avid gardener, Nelms spent more than half of her life working as a housekeeper for a local family. She’s a longtime community volunteer, who has always been willing to help out friends and neighbors.
“Up until recently she served as a deaconess at her church,” Hodges said. “And she still loves to fish.”
Nelms was born Aug. 27, 1916, in Reagan, TX, and graduated from Pilgrim Rest High School. She married Maurice Nelms on March 17, 1934, in Falls County and they remained married 75 years until his death in 2009.
The couple raised four children, and Nelms currently counts 8 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great grandchildren.
Nelms has also long served in a motherly role for children in her neighborhood, said City Councilwoman Mari Willis.
“Mrs. Nelms was a part of my “village” growing up and even still unto this day,” said Willis, a childhood friend of Hodges. “She is such a steady and calm example of how we should maneuver life.
“She has wisdom and laughter for everyone and is always, always kind. She is just an amazing woman and she has raised an amazing family.”
Willis added: “I am so thankful for the 105 years of Mrs. Nelms life – she always gives God the glory and I know her to be a mighty woman of prayer. Our community is a better place because of the Nelms family and their presence and participation in the Odessa community.”
Asked to describe her grandmother, Hodges says, “She’s soft-spoken, a fun-loving person who loves her family and she’s a God-loving Christian.”
After 105 years, her grandmother has lost none of her zest for life, Hodges said. On Wednesday, Hodges was preparing to take Nelms to get her hair done and try out a new outfit for her birthday.
How does it feel to be turning 105, Nelms is asked?
“Oh boy,” Nelms responds, stretching the length of each word for added emphasis. “It feels good.”
