'The world hasn't really changed a lot,' century-old San Angelo woman shares her experiences

SAN ANGELO — This San Angelo woman has seen much over a century of life, but she hasn't stopped doing what she loves.

As Evelyn Howell, a newly turned centenarian, took her seat behind the keyboard at the Sagecrest Alzheimer's Care Center, she smiled. The songs began and her expert fingers played along to the faith-filled music.

Though Howell turned 100 years old on Oct. 13, she hasn't stopped volunteering her musical talents. She has played piano since she was 6 years old and performed for churches since her teenage years.

"Sometimes, musical abilities can diminish with age, but Evelyn still plays beautifully and can play everything she sees," said Kevin McSpadden, the community chaplain for Sagecrest. "She is an inspiration to us all.”

When asked how she made it to the century mark, Howell attributed her parents and healthy decisions as the cause.

"I had good parents and I guess I got good genes," Howell said. "I didn't get into smoking or drinking or anything. I've had a very healthy life."

Howell was born in the Texas Panhandle in 1919 and remembered how different life was then.  

"Growing up, we didn't even have running water. ... We didn't have electricity," Howell said. "My kids and grandkids said, 'How in the world did you live?' We never thought anything about it being a hard life."

Surviving several major historic events, such as the Great Depression and World War II, Howell said she was lucky.

"We lived fine (during the Great Depression), because we lived on a farm," Howell said. "I probably ate better then than I've ever eaten any other time in my life. I always had what I needed ... not a lot, but what I needed."

One of the hardest things Howell experienced was her second son's battle with polio during the epidemic.

More:San Angelo was center of polio epidemic in summer of 1949

"We were sent all over to places where you send (polio patients) to try to help him," Howell said. "That was one of the hardest challenges of my life, because he was so sick. For a long time, he could only move one leg."

Through a century of history, Howell doesn't believe the world has changed much.

"The world hasn't really changed a lot. It's just us people," Howell said. "You've got to know what's right and try to do what's right. You won't always do it, but you've got to try."

Alana Edgin is a journalist covering Crime and Courts in West Texas. Send her a news tip at aedgin@gannett.com. Consider supporting West Texas journalism with a subscription to GoSanAngelo.com.