She was born in Grand Lake, Mich., not too far from where the first Model T Fords were being produced. It was 1908  - before the Titanic was built, before the silent film era, and well before space travel, personal computers and the Internet age.

She has seen two world wars, and the Great Depression, and numerous skirmishes, conflicts and cold war standoffs. In her lifetime, women's fashions have gone from ankle-length dresses with bustles, hats and parasols to miniskirts, leggings, slip dresses, hip boots and Gucci bags.

Already, she has nearly doubled the life expectancy for women at the time of her birth- 53 years according to 1908 U.S. statistics from states reporting mortality rates.

O'Conner is 101, and still having fun. She celebrated the milestone Oct.2, with friends and a party, a funny hat and birthday cake, and lots of laughs, and not a hint of frailty. 

Physically and mentally, she holds her own despite her advanced age, amazing those she meets.

Debbie Adcox, River Oaks Place activities director, says, "Obie is amazing. She has a fascinating life story, she is loving and funny. She does not feel sorry for herself. She is 101, but she jokes around an you can laugh with her."

O'Conner says, "People have said to me - 'It must be terrible to be 100,'" she says. "But to me, it is fun."

She was one of five children, and never expected such longevity. One sibling died at birth; her mother died at age 62, her father, at 69. Now, her own two children are in their 70s.

When her children were young, O'Conner kept busy with homemaking and PTA, cooking, sewing and fancy needlework. 

"After they got through school, I got busy," she says. "So many people are happy just to stay at home, but it wasn't for me."

When the children grew older, she began volunteering in hospitals. During World War II, when items were being rationed by the U.S. Government for the war effort, she worked distributing ration cards.

Although she was healthy most of her life,  at age 90, O'Conner contracted spinal meningitis and nearly died. When she recovered, she could have moved in with her children, but she values her independence.

In her small apartment at River Oaks Place in Lenoir City, an independent and assisted living facility, her daily routine is built around lifelong habits. She gets up each morning and cooks her own breakfast.  She makes her own bed and straightens her space. She doesn't neglect her chores.

"When I am active I am happy," she says. "The first thing I do is jump out of bed and make my bed. I've been doing it so long I think I could do it in my sleep. Then I make my breakfast and do my dishes."

The day under way, she goes for brisk walks, strolling up, down and around the hallways at River Oaks Place, the renovated former Lenoir City High School building.

O'Conner lived in Florida, near her son, before moving to Tennessee. She came here after her daughter moved to Tellico Village.

When she came to Lenoir City a little more than two years ago, the wide, inviting hallways were one of the attractions of River Oaks Place. O'Conner says she had hoped for such a place, to be able to walk regularly. The social connections she found were an added plus.

As she strolls, she greets friends who live in the building, and points out the amenities, such as the facility's beauty shop, where hair coiffures and manicures are available, the craft room and the dining room.

"When I came here I wasn't ill. I was in good health. But it is wonderful to be with people, and to have programs to keep me busy," says O'Conner, who enjoys playing Bingo at River Oaks Place.

Keeping busy is the key to living a long and happy life, O'Conner says.

"You need to keep busy and involved in something you enjoy. It is what has kept me going, keeping interested. When you're doing something, you're not sitting and thinking of yourself."

O'Conner believes it's better not to worry.

"I remember the Depression, but my feeling is that people didn't worry about things like people do now," O'Conner says, recalling that people would get together for potluck meals and an evening of playing cards. "They did not complain so much, even when the banks closed."

People should keep laughing, she says.

"We have a lot of fun. We laugh. We crack jokes," O'Conner says as she strikes a brisk pace down the hallway. As a safety precaution, she pushes a walker; she has fallen a couple of times, but fortunately suffered no injury except bruises.

With the population aging, and the senior citizen population growing at an unprecedented rate, centenarians no longer are as uncommon as they once were.

"With advances in medications and health systems, people are living longer," says Toby Brewster, director of the Office on Aging. "There are many 100-year olds out there. We had a lady who would have been 107, and two weeks before she died she was here at the Senior Center. She loved to come."

The Loudon County Senior Center serves people 60 and older, but the average age is in the 75-85 range, Brewster says.

Loudon is one of three counties in the 16-county East Tennessee District with an Office on Aging. 

Supported primarily by the county and United Way, along with some federal funds, the Office on Aging offers services including transportation, meals on wheels, homemaker services, some legal assistance and a referral service.

Senior citizens may schedule trips to medical offices, grocery and drug stores. Or, they may join scheduled outings to area retail outlets.

"Transportation is a big thing, particularly if they have no family or little family support," Brewster says. "If they have nobody to drive and nobody to do (things) for them, they can come here for help."

AARP driving classes, health and fitness programs and educational programs are offered through the center.

Brewster says the purpose of the center is to promote the healthy physical and mental well being of the county's older population.

Up-to-date census data is not available yet, but Brewster estimates that the number of local seniors is at nearly 10,000.

"We continually strive to provide a wide variety of activities and services so that we can reach a larger number of clients," she says. "With the older population steadily growing, we are constantly seeking ways to enhance programs we have and expand by adding new programs."