<div>Oct. 18—JEFFERSON — Charlotte Reeder celebrated her 102nd birthday Thursday afternoon with friends and family from all over the country.Reeder and her husband, Homer, raised a family in Jefferson, where everyone worked together, her daughter, Barbara Herman, said. "We were a blended family before [it was a thing]," she said.Reeder said she remembers the difficult times of the Depression. "We ate very little," she said of her time growing up in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, where she was born.The family later moved to Gallipolis, then she came to Jefferson and then married Homer Reeder, Herman said.Herman said the blended family was lower-middle income, but everybody had what they needed. and her parents always reached out to those in need. She said her mother worked for 24 years as a licensed practical nurse, and her father was a pipe-fitter."I worked for her [Charlotte Reeder] as a nurse's aid," Herman said of some of her early work experience at a nursing home in Rock Creek.Ron Reeder, Charlotte's son, said he doesn't get back to Jefferson too often, but feels like not too much has changed.Charlotte Reeder had her driver's license until she was 100 years old, but the family took her car when she was 98 as a safety precaution, Herman said.She said the family told her that Barbara had the key and she lives in South Carolina.Reeder came from a large family herself, Herman said.An example of the family's willingness to help others was evident as the Preble family testified to the family's long time friendship. "I moved in next door in the 1970s. She [Charlotte] helped me raise my kids," said Beverly Preble, who attended the party on Thursday with her husband Dan.Herman said her mother is still able to walk and is in good health, but has hearing problems. She said Reeder loved working in her garden and still does word-search books.Reeder said she remembers playing with her dog as a child, and she started to work in a nursing home in 1938.She said her brother fought in World War II.Two friendly dogs, Billy and Daisy, were a part of the celebration, and were the center of attention for a while as Charlotte held or petted them.</div>

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Jefferson woman celebrates 102nd birthday

Oct. 18—JEFFERSON — Charlotte Reeder celebrated her 102nd birthday Thursday afternoon with friends and family from all over the country. Reeder and her husband, Homer, raised a family in Jefferson, where everyone worked together, her daughter, Barbara Herman, said. \"We were a blended family before [it was a thing],\" she said.

Oct. 18—JEFFERSON — Charlotte Reeder celebrated her 102nd birthday Thursday afternoon with friends and family from all over the country. Reeder and her husband, Homer, raised a family in Jefferson, where everyone worked together, her daughter, Barbara Herman, said. "We were a blended family before [it was a thing]," she said.