‘I Just Do the Best I Can’
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| Profile: Mrs. Frances Moore |
By Cathy Holt
At age 98, Mrs. Frances Moore is the oldest resident of public housing in Asheville. Born and raised in Asheville, she went to Hill Street School and then Stephens Lee High School. She did maid work at the Aston Park Hospital for many years. Mrs. Moore has been a member of St. James AME Church ever since her childhood; the pastor comes to visit her regularly. Other members come by, and call.
Mrs. Moore has lived
in her Livingston apartment for some 22 years now, with her disabled
son who is 53 years old. He has cerebral palsy, uses a wheelchair, and
she has been his primary caregiver all his life. Currently she has help
for three hours, four days a week, but she does all the cooking,
grocery shopping, washing, and most of the housework for both of them.
“I just do the best I can,” she says.
Just recently, she had the flu and then had a fall that resulted in her
going to the hospital. Now she is in Grace Health Care Facility,
recuperating and having physical therapy. But she is determined to go
back home and continue caring for her son.
Message to the young people: “Be truthful. There’s so much drug
business in town involving young people. We would have a better world,
less war and killing if people would be truthful. People just kill
people now for no good reason, even in the schools.”
Segregation memories: “There used to be ‘whites only’ signs up
everywhere. Martin Luther King Jr. was inspirational, I loved him. I
remember the sit-ins in the lunch counters, that was a long time ago. I
first registered to vote in the 1960s, and I did enjoy going to vote!”
The secret of her long life: “I never smoked or drank. My mother always
cooked greens and vegetables and healthy food. People used to cook, not
eat junk food like they do now. My parents were hard-working, they did
the best they could.”
If you would like to volunteer and help our seniors, contact Cathy
Holt, Senior Services Coordinator Housing Authority, City of Asheville,
(828) 257-2638.
