Age is usually treated as a limit — a line that, once crossed, confines people and slows them down.

But for four remarkable centenarian women in Rappahannock County, their age is not a restriction — it’s just a number.

Marie Ridder, Doris Rowzie, Joyce Abell and Bess Lucking have all reached 100 years or more, defying not only the odds of a long life, but the expectation that age should slow them down. Growing old doesn’t mean fading away.

“People expect them to be, like, in a rocking chair, not moving or talking or living,” said Missy Werth, a caretaker for Doris Rowzie, 100, and her husband, Bud Rowzie, 95, in Amissville. “But not [Doris], she’s a force.”

“[People] just are surprised that you’re still walking,” Bess Lucking, 100, said. 

Foothills Forum photographer Ireland Hayes spent time with each woman, photographing them in their homes in an effort to capture their beauty, vitality and spirit earned by lives well lived. 

Marie Ridder, 101, Flint Hill/McLean

Over her 101 years, Marie Ridder has rarely stood still.

She credits her longevity to an active life, from horseback riding and skiing to long walks and swimming, a practice that hasn’t stopped as she’s aged.

“I still swim every day,” Ridder said.

A career journalist, Ridder also devoted much of her life to social and environmental causes. She was involved in numerous regional and national conservation organizations, including the Piedmont Environmental Council, the American Farmland Trust and the National Parks Conservation Association.

Ridder lives in McLean but maintains strong ties to Rappahannock and spends much of her time with her daughters, Stephanie and Cary Ridder, who both live in Flint Hill.

Doris Rowzie, 100, Amissville

Doris Rowzie said she has never thought much about her age, or let it hold her back from living her life to the fullest — even now at 100. 

“I never thought about age, and I still don’t. And when somebody says ‘100,’ I wonder who they’re talking about,” Rowzie said. “I don’t talk about age, just that I’ve lived.” 

She and her husband, Bud, 95, raised five children together, meeting after her first husband died young. Now married over 60 years, the couple are still visibly in love.

Rowzie worked until she was 76 at the couple’s real estate business, and is a devoted Christian, a fact made evident by the crosses and angels all around her home. She said her faith has very much shaped the way she has lived her life. 

Joyce Abell, 100, Woodville

Joyce Abell is one of the founders of “No Ordinary Person,” an annual show that brings real-life stories to the stage in Rappahannock County, and storytelling has been a central part of her life. She has authored several books, and shared many of those same stories on stage. She continues to tell stories when her memory allows.

She and her husband, Richard, came to the county in 1984 and grew raspberries and asparagus at their Woodville farm. Abell still lives there with her son, Crispin Sartwell. “I really think it’s amazing that I ended up here,” Abell said.

Abell said she never expected to live to be a centenarian. “I’m not sure that I’m ‘good’ at making my life long,” she said. She said she was good at making it good, though. She encourages young people to try new things — and new ways of doing things — and to take leaps of faith.

“Never stop experimenting or changing … always try it out,” Abell said. “I kept doing that.”

Bess Lucking, 100, Spyder Mountain

Bess Lucking has lived independently on the mountain, next door to her son, Bob, since moving to the county from Florida nearly 20 years ago, after the death of her husband, John. 

In 2020, Lucking fell and broke her leg in a fall — an injury that can prove life-altering at any age, but especially at hers. Lucking pushed through rehab and recovered fully. 

She is still a regular at the Rappahannock Senior Center, stopping in three or four times a week. She said she loves getting out, talking to people and seeing her friends there. She’s one of the first centenarians the center has known, though Lucking said her experience there hasn’t changed much. 

“They treat you the same,” she said.