North Carolina Woman Celebrates 100th Birthday with Car Parade

When Ernestine "Sugar Pie" Watkins-Montague turned 100 over the weekend, she had plenty of family on hand to celebrate her big day. Born on January 30, 1922, Sugar Pie witnessed first-hand many of America's most defining moments in history, including the Great Depression, World War II, and the Civil Rights Movement.

Her granddaughter Brittanie Hinton said she grew up working on a farm and instilled her incredible work ethic in each of her 18 children.

Today, Sugar is the proud matriarch of the Montague family in Zebulon, North Carolina. In addition to her 11 remaining children, who range in age from 60 to 84, she also has 23 grandchildren, 39 great grandchildren, and 11 great great grandchildren.

"Grandma is the pillar of our family," grandson Terrell Mills told Southern Living. "The creator of her own village. With such a big family, she instilled respect, grace, love, and patience. Furthermore, with such a big family she has been a dominant presence in all of our lives individually."

It's clear Sugar Pie has played an important role in each of her family member's lives, so with her centennial right around the corner, they knew they wanted to do something extra special to celebrate her. The family banded together to throw Sugar Pie a huge bash, complete with a car parade where family, friends, and community members could drive by and wish Sugar Pie well.

Hinton said Grandma Sugar Pie is in good health and has never been hospitalized. Though she doesn't talk much, she's extremely witty and keeps everyone on their toes.

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"I'm grateful and blessed to have such a strong grandmother," granddaughter Latesha Montague told Southern Living. "Apart from being a strong woman, she is also the most kind-hearted and sweetest person you could ever meet. Grandma Sugar Pie is the root of our large family. She holds the key to our family's history and offers insight into our Black heritage. We will always cherish her, and we are all blessed to have been able to celebrate her 100th birthday."

Happy Birthday, Sugar Pie!