September 23, 2020 (Mt. Airy, NC) ─ Twelve Oaks, a DePaul Senior Living Community in Mt. Airy, recently had the honor of celebrating two milestone birthdays! Alene Gates hit the centenarian mark while Nolie Boyles celebrated her 103^rd birthday.

Hope and prayer are a big ingredient in centenarian Alene Gates’ secret to longevity.

“I kept hoping and praying and was in good shape health-wise,” she reflects. Staying active and eating healthy foods has paid off for the Pilot Mountain native.

Married to her late-husband Stuart Gates, Alene retired from Amos & Smith Hosiery. She moved to Twelve Oaks, her “home away from home,” in March 2020. She enjoys doing jigsaw and word search puzzles in her spare time.

Alene’s family arranged a parade and large lawn sign outside Twelve Oaks and she received flowers and balloons among other fanfare to celebrate her milestone birthday!

Twelve Oaks resident Nolie Boyles celebrated her 103^rd birthday recently! A native of Surry County, Nolie was born and raised on a farm in Pilot Mountain. She married a tobacco farmer, Durward Boyles, and together they raised two sons and two daughters. Nolie celebrated her 103^rd birthday with a parade, cake and socially distant visits with family!

Congratulations to both Alene and Nolie on over a decade of life well lived!

For more information about Twelve Oaks, please contact Administrator Penny Haynes at (336) 786-1130, at phaynes@depaul.org or visit us on Facebook.