Jackson Man Celebrates 102nd Birthday
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JACKSON, Tenn. – Family and friends packed St. Mary’s Manor and sang along as Thomas Haley celebrated his 102nd birthday. “I didn’t know I did have so many friends. Out of all my birthdays, this is my favorite one,” Haley said. “I think it means a lot to him,” Haley’s friend, Diane Wade, said. “Everybody here respects him.” Haley was given a certificate from the mayor’s office, a plaque from Governor Bill Haslam, and numerous other gifts. At 102-years-old, property managers said Haley is their oldest resident by nearly four years. But even though he has crossed the century mark, friends and family say he is nowhere close to slowing down. “I know I wouldn’t be able to do what he’s doing, but I just love him,” Haley’s friend, Eva Tinsley, said. “He’s just wonderful and I just have to keep him in my prayers.” Haley spent much of his life working in construction, at a sawmill and on a farm, and he said he never expected to live past 50-years-old. Haley compares himself and his health to a modern “Rocky.” “Seems like every time he was going to lose, he bounced back and won it. (Rocky) said, ‘Somebody up there likes me.’ Somebody down here likes me too,” Haley said.
