Site Manager Cathy Brown calls him “the grandfather of our senior center.” Come August 15, David Powell will turn 100 years young.

Powell, a lifelong resident of Butler County, has lived to see four generations of his family. He’s the father of three children, and as for the extended family, his son Willie puts it like this: “You’d have to say there’s a lot.”

“He’s got plenty of grands, great-grands, and great-great-grands,” Willie Powell laughs. “And I think most everyone in Butler County knows him, too. He was one of the Wal-Mart greeters for a few years and he met a lot of folks.”

One of eight children, Powell worked on the farm and also put in several decades at the former Union Camp in Chapman, retiring at age 62.

A longtime member of the Mt. Ida Baptist Church, Powell has served as a deacon for close to three-quarters of a century.

Asked what he does these days with his free time, he gently smiles and says, “Oh, I don’t do a lot, Miss.”

“Actually,” his son chimes in, “He still enjoys working in the yard. He was just out there this morning.”

Powell nods. “I do like yard work. I like getting out.” He agrees such physical activity helps keep him going as he approaches the century mark.

Of his six brothers and one sister, all have passed on except for his baby sister, his son said.

A widower, Powell has been attending the senior center weekday mornings for nearly 5 years.

He says it is nice to get out of the house and be amongst other folks.

When his big day arrives, Brown and his fellow seniors are sure to celebrate that birthday milestone.

And Powell’s many family members will also celebrate his century of life with him.

“Oh, yes, everyone will get together on his birthday. We are all looking forward to that,” Willie Powell says.

“He’s a good man, and a good father. I’m glad to have him.”

And one more thing he’d like to share about his dad: “He loves Butler County and he doesn’t ever want to live any place else.”