During her childhood in Great Depression-era Missouri, Bonita Gibson often would notice horse-drawn buggies trotting down the street. Today, as the oldest living person in the state of Michigan, the 113-year-old sees automobiles speeding outside her window as a resident of Waltonwood Carriage Park in Canton, MI, just outside of Detroit.
Waltonwood Executive Director Angie Hanson said that despite her long journey to the Motor City, Gibson has never lost her lust for life.
“Her grandson, Scott, lives here [in the area]. That’s how she ended up here,” Hanson said. “He said that when he was moving her up here, she wanted to ride on the back of his Harley, but he wouldn’t let her.”
Gibson was born in Kansas, then moved to Missouri, where she would meet her high school sweetheart and future husband in 1930. Two years later, they would move to Idaho to start careers as potato farmers, and five years after that, she would give birth to her only son. Under the backdrop of the Depression, times certainly were tough.
“They lived in a tent the entire time, and then the owner decided he wanted something better and sold the farm,” Hanson said. “So they traveled to many different states looking for work.”
Gibson moved into Waltonwood in 2013, entering assisted living after the onset of COVID-19. Because her birthday is July 4, the community typically goes all out in its dual celebration of Gibson and Independence Day. She wanted something a little quieter this year, however.
“She had 16 guests. They were her grandson and then all his kids and their kids,” Hanson said. “We got lots of flowers and every year we do a big celebration, even in her apartment. She wanted hamburgers and hotdogs and french fries. We went from big parties to now something a little more quaint.”
Despite all the highs and lows of her 113 years, Gibson never forgets to show her gratitude. The horse and buggy she saw as a youth might not be around anymore, but the thank you has stood the test of time. Just like Bonita Gibson.
“One of her other birthdays, they put out something for anyone to send her a card in the mail,” Hanson said. “Our life enrichment manager told me that she made sure that she wrote every single person a thank you note, and it took her half the year to do it, [but] she was adamant about that.”
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