A 101-year-old St. Louis woman stole the spotlight at her own birthday celebration when she got up and danced on her own.
Honestly, some people just have a light about them. You cannot quite explain it, but you feel it the moment they walk in. Lela McSpadden is one of those people — and at 101 years old, she is still proving that a life rooted in God never really runs out of steam.
When the music started at her birthday party last week, nobody had to coax her. She just got up and danced.
Right there, surrounded by the people she loves, she moved to the beat while the whole room clapped and cheered her on. There were probably a few happy tears too. It was that kind of moment.
The Northside Youth and Senior Service Center made the day even more special by officially declaring it “Lela McSpadden Day.” And honestly, it is hard to argue with that decision.
Born in 1925, McSpadden spent her working years as a nurse. Caring for people was never just her job — it was simply who she was. Years into retirement, that has not changed one bit.
Her great-niece, Rev. Renee Johnson, who also pastors Murchison Tabernacle Church, put it this way: “She has always been a nurturer. She’s been retired for many years, but she continues to show love and support whenever we have any health concerns.”
What makes that even sweeter is that McSpadden does not wait to be asked. Her niece Toni Murphy laughed as she described it: “If you’re getting ready to stand up, she’s already right there. You think it would be the other way around, but she’s always trying to take care of everyone else.”
At 101, she is still the one looking after everybody else.
Ask her the secret, and she does not hesitate: “Take care of yourself, keep your faith strong, and stay around people who make you laugh.” No complicated formula. No special diet plan. Just faith, health, and good company. A century of living has a way of clarifying what actually matters.
And faith, for McSpadden, is not something she saves for Sundays. Every morning begins with prayer. Then she heads to the Northside center, where she takes exercise classes, plays games, and spends time with friends she genuinely enjoys.
Her family’s connection to Murchison Tabernacle Church goes back generations. Her mother was one of the people who helped establish it. Today, her great-niece stands at the pulpit as its pastor.
Then there are the Friday domino nights. Every week, the family gathers around the table with popcorn, chips, soda, and a whole lot of laughter. “We all play dominoes every Friday. We’ve been doing it for many years,” said her niece Peggy Joyner. “She’s alert and she never wants to stop. We just have a good time.”
She also refuses to sit anything out. Every event, every gathering — she is dressed and waiting by the door. “She gets up, she’s ready to go, waiting for the van to pick her up,” Rev. Johnson said. “She never wants to be excluded from any of the activities and events.”
At 101, she is still showing up with more enthusiasm than most people half her age.
This is simply the picture of someone who lived by faith and love. No special diets, no complicated wellness routines, no secret formula — just a woman who prayed every morning, showed up for her people, and never stopped giving.
We talk a lot about how to live longer, but Lela McSpadden makes us wonder if we have been asking the wrong question all along. Maybe the real question is how to live better. Deeper. More faithfully. More generously.
She has spent 101 years answering that question without saying a word — and on her birthday, she answered it on the dance floor. May her life inspire us to do the same.
Isaiah 46:4 — “Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.”
WATCH: 101-Year-Old Woman Steals the Show With Joyful Birthday Dance
