‘Keep breathing’ – Suzanne Goodell celebrates 100th birthday
Suzanne Goodell poses at the Decatur Recreation Center with weights and resistance bands, ready to work out on her 100th birthday on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Decatur, GA — Suzanne Goodell celebrated her 100th birthday at the Decatur Recreation Center on Wednesday, Oct. 11, with a nice workout and some love from her classmates and instructor Bobbie Elzey.
“Suzanne is an enthusiastic person who always looks for the good things, and she always has a smile on her face,” Elzey said. “She has exercised with me for years. She’s just delightful.”
Quick with a quip, Goodell said her advice for living a long life is “keep breathing.”
Functional Exercises Class Instructor Bobbie Elzey, (left) with Suzanne Goodell who credits Elzey with keeping her young. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Classmate Susan Weitman said Goodell is her inspiration.
“She sits next to me most days. She’s happy, cheery,” Weitman said. “I believe that’s part of why she’s a hundred years old. She’s the most positive individual and I truly love her. Happy Birthday, Suzanne.”
Frances Harris (left) with her sister Suzanne Goodell. Harris, who said she is eight years younger than Goodell was in town from Texas along with 50 direct descendants of Goodell’s to celebrate her sister’s 100th birthday. Harris worked out alongside her sister in Bobbie Elzey’s functional exercises class at the Decatur Recreation Center on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
“We’ve enjoyed having Suzanne in our class. She’s a mainstay,” Terry Bird, another classmate, said. “I really had no idea she was 100 years old until we were told.”
Julia Kneeland signs a banner painted by Deborah Palmer for Suzanne Goodell’s 100th birthday celebration with Bobbie Elzey’s functional exercises class at the Decatur Recreation Center on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Clark Lemons said, “I asked Suzanne one time how can you do all these exercises. You do every single one, and she said well you know, I was born limber, and I’ve just stayed limber all this time. It’s amazing because she’s one of the strongest, most limber people in our class, and we love her.”
Bobbie Elzey’s functional exercises class had a cake ready to celebrate Suzanne Goodell’s 100th birthday at the Decatur Recreation Center on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
“I sit close to Suzanna a lot too, and one day I noticed that she was using 4-pound weights,” Pat Stark said. “I was only using 3-pound weights. I said I need to step up my game here! And the other thing I love about her is she’ll wear really cute things, like a tropical Hawaiian shirt, she’ll have on matching socks, she’ll have on a little hat, and she’s always cheerful.”
Suzanne Goodell blows out candles on her cake while her classmates sing Happy Birthday during a 100th birthday celebration for Goodell with Bobbie Elzey’s functional exercises class at the Decatur Recreation Center on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
“The point is that I am positive in my own mind that a class of exercise is a great thing for everybody and especially for us as we age,” Goodell said.
Suzanne Goodell celebrated her 100th birthday with her functional exercises classmates at the Decatur Recreation Center on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Bobbie Elzey teaches a functional exercises class at the Decatur Recreation Center. The class helped Suzanne Goodell celebrate her 100th birthday on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. “We call this Miss Bobbie’s neighborhood where we all like each other just like we are,” Goodell said. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Frances Harris (left) works out alongside her sister Suzanne Goodell (right) during Bobbie Elzey’s functional exercises class. The class helped Goodell celebrate her 100th birthday at the Decatur Recreation Center on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Suzanne Goodell (left) walks with functional exercises classmate Susan Weitman during a 100th birthday celebration for Goodell at the Decatur Recreation Center on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. “Suzanne is my inspiration,” Weitman said. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Suzanne Goodell (left) talks with functional exercises classmate Susan Weitman during a 100th birthday celebration for Goodall at the Decatur Recreation Center on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023. Photo by Dean Hesse.
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