TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Newspapers, family photos and football memorabilia filled her tiny room. The room had one window with a view of the garden, which she enjoys.
The garden is located in the middle courtyard of Morning Pointe Assisted Living for residents to have easy access. Residents help with the garden in any way they are able.
“Here, that’s one thing I can do. I can water, I can prune. I enjoy it very much,” said Mildred Faber.
Faber has been a resident at Morning Pointe since an illness left her unable to walk in 2013; however, that doesn’t slow her down.
Morning Pointe keeps their residents busy, with activities scheduled throughout the day. Faber says she participates in most of the activities because she enjoys learning about and spending time with the other residents.
Faber is from Gordo, Alabama, but moved to Montgomery when she graduated high school. There, she met her husband, an airman, whom she married in 1946.
Five years later, the couple moved to Washington, D.C. They often kept busy, joining clubs and spending time with each other outdoors.
At one time, Faber was a member of the Timonium Methodist Duckpin bowling league. Duckpin bowling originated in Baltimore and is Faber’s favorite style of bowling.
The Fabers joined the Mountain Club of Maryland where they hiked 10 miles every Wednesday, sometimes on the Appalachian Trail and other times in state parks.
Once a year, the club hosted an all-night hike around Baltimore, allowing hikers to view sites of interest throughout the city. The hike ended at Fort McHenry where hikers could volunteer to help raise the fort’s flag – which Faber did with delight.
Faber has a habit of volunteering. During her first flight overseas, the pilot invited the passengers to sit in the cockpit, and she was the first to step forward.
While sitting with the pilot, Faber was able to see an erupting volcano in Iceland as the plane flew over. Had Faber not volunteered to be in the cockpit, she would have never seen the volcano, she said.
Faber is an example of how to live life to the fullest. She and her husband traveled to many different countries, lived in several different states and were always up to something.
Lynn Armour, the Enrichment Director at Morning Pointe, spoke highly of Faber, speaking on her exciting life, her stories of the past and her kind character.
Even now, with the loss of her husband and moving back to Alabama after traveling for over 50 years, Faber reminisces fondly on the past and is optimistic about a more relaxed life in her future.
