105-year-old woman with memory loss is using her passion for art to keep going

Perseverance and hard work can help us tackle the hardest of challenges throughout our lives. Winnell Shaw, a 105-year-old woman, has proven the same as she faces the challenge of aging. Shaw was born in 1918 and celebrated her 105th birthday in January 2023 with community members and her family who continue to support her through everything, reports WTSP. 

The African American Financial Empowerment Connection raised donations to cover her assisted living facility bills, therefore assisting her and other older citizens in the community where she lives. Shaw's long life has been inspiring to say the least and she refuses to lose her spirit even now. She was born in Lawrenceville but her family relocated to Atlanta when she was 12 years old. She has 13 grandkids and four children who joined her in celebrating her 105th birthday.

Shaw attended the largest African American public elementary school, Ashby Street Elementary, and Booker Washington High School for her secondary schooling. She married her spouse, Frank Shaw—an Army soldier at the time—when she was 23 years old. They raised their four children together until Frank's death. Shaw worked as a seamstress in her town as a youngster, serving her family, friends and neighbors. Members of the community would recommend her work to one another. In 1961, she assisted a neighbor in giving birth to her child, becoming a pillar in her neighborhood and spreading her love and care for children.

She has been well-respected throughout her large family and community and they continue to show up to show their love for her. Despite her short-term memory loss, she keeps her mind active by playing card games and has even taken up drawing as a new passion. Shaw's drawings are a comprehensive and dynamic representation of the interests she developed throughout time. Her images reflect her trendy taste as well as her love of animals, flowers and the people she has met. 

Mary "Frankie" Shaw-Millens, Shaw's daughter, has been her mother's principal caregiver for numerous years. Mary has been caring for her mother and her husband since the Covid -19 pandemic, both of whom required daily care while she worked from home. Unfortunately, she was eventually compelled to move both of them to assisted living due to health issues. Shaw told Patch Media in 2022, "I feel fine! I think I've lived to be this old because I was understanding, and I try to live right and do the right things." 

Shaw has witnessed various key episodes in American history, including two pandemics: COVID-19 and the Spanish flu. She has also witnessed the Great Depression, World War I, World War II, the civil rights movement and many other events. The 19th amendment granted women the right to vote when Shaw was almost three years old, in 1920. Even after living through wars, pandemics and a whole decade, Shaw is in her best spirits. Her hard work and perseverance to live to the fullest are motivating her to spend time with her family and pursue new hobbies.