105 Years Young: Frances Ford Shares Her Secrets to a Long Life

Published 3:35 pm Thursday, June 1, 2023

: Frances Ford enjoyed a drive and a vanilla ice cream cone. Mrs. Ford will celebrate her 105th birthday June 3, 2023. (Photo Submitted)

When Frances Ford turned 104 on June 3, 2022, the family celebrated her life — they will be doing the same this year as she turns 105.

Ford, who lives in Bovina with her niece, Patricia Vinzant, was married to the late Armond E. Ford. Together, the couple were soybean and cotton farmers in the Tallulah community in Issaquena County. Mrs. Ford also owned Tamette’s, a needlecraft shop located at the Battlefield Mall in the 70s.

Frances and her late husband had two children, Grace Ford Dillon of Natchez and William Gene Ford Sr. of Issaquena County; four grandchildren, Tammy Kelly Lawrence, Gene Ford Jr. and Annette Ford Kindhart, all of Vicksburg and the late Steve Kelly of Natchez.

There are also six great-grandchildren — Heather and Alyssa Kindhart of Vicksburg, Erica and Garrett McDaniel of New Orleans, Christopher Kelly of Sumrall and Hailey Wroten of Natchez. She also has many great nephews and great nieces of Vicksburg.

Lawrence said her grandmother has the “strongest hugs and most beautiful laugh.”

And Frances attributed her health and longevity to long walks, protection from the sun by wearing long sleeve shirts and “large floppy hats” and taking vitamin E and Fish oil daily.

The centenarian also claimed, Lawrence said, that drinking Dr. Pepper was not bad for one’s health.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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