Myrtle Spencer Cleveland – “Aunt Myrtle” – celebrated her 100th birthday July 12 during a drop-in at Poe Baptist Church, Greenville. She is the oldest member of the church.
Cleveland was born in the Poe Mill village, where she has lived her entire life. She is the daughter of John and Lucy Spencer, who were charter members of Poe Baptist.
As a teenager, Cleveland won the “Miss Poe Mill” beauty pageant. She worked in the drawing-in room of the mill before becoming cashier/bookkeeper at the company store. She later was dietitian at Poe Elementary School and retired as dietitian at Cone Elementary.
She was the wife of Bill Cleveland, who died in 1977.
After the death of an older sister and also a sister-in-law, Cleveland helped raise their children. Friends and family have always considerer Cleveland someone “everyone could count on for help.”
As a lifelong member of Poe Baptist, Cleveland has served in many capacities and has been active in the church’s senior group. She enjoys traveling – her favorite destination is Myrtle Beach – and has made trips to Michigan, California, Florida, Branson, Gatlinburg, and to Europe.
Today, Cleveland lives at home, assisted by her longtime friend, Gail Clardy.