Sally Ellis was born and raised in Kentucky, but moved her family to Chillicothe when her husband started with Red Cross Shoes in 1934.
She said she does not have a secret for living long - she just keeps plugging along. She did admit one thing - she enjoys being around young people.
Her son, Jack Ellis - who is 84 himself - explained how he thinks she keeps going: friends. He says that's important when someone when keeps losing friends and family.
Surrounded by friends and neighbors in Liberty Village on Western Avenue, Sally Ellis enjoyed her birthday there. But she moved in only two years ago, only when she was 108, from her house on Second Street where she lived alone for 39 years after her husband died.
Mayor Luke Feeney gave her a proclamation, Pioneer School students sang "Happy Birthday," and a church trio serenaded her.
The census bureau says Sally is the oldest person in Ross County. Jack thinks she's probably in the top 3 or 4 in the US.
Kevin Coleman regularly reports on Chillicothe & Circleville councils