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Woman in Knoxville celebrates turning 105 years old

Residents and staff at her retirement home celebrated Jeanne Fox's 105th birthday on Friday.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A woman in Knoxville turned 105 years old on Friday, and she was surrounded by people at her retirement home to help her celebrate.

Jeanne Fox celebrated her birthday at Shannondale Assisted Living, with several people wishing her "happy birthday" throughout the day. During the celebration, she shared stories of her life.

For example, she said that when she was 18 years old she went to a reception at the White House, and met then-President Franklin Roosevelt.

"The people were dancing, and they had wonderful food, and I recognized people there who were well-known in government. I went up to the buffet and I looked at the food and I didn't recognize it. I wasn't a party girl, and I didn't recognize any of that fancy food," she said.

She said she ended up eating an olive at the party and had to hide its pit near a tree at the White House.

Fox also collected paintings from her mother, who said she painted several creations but never sold any.

"I love having them around, I look at them all the time," she said.

She said her secret to living a long life was to not smoke and said she was happy as she looked back on her life. For younger people, she also said not to take life too seriously and "do the best you can."

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