Posted: Friday, September 12, 2014 12:00 am

By Melanie Tucker | [email protected]

Alcoa’s James L. Joines has accomplished what few others will — he’s turning 101 on Sept. 17, 2014 while still living independently.

Joines is the father of Wilma Mull and father-in-law of Alcoa Mayor Don Mull. This couple said Joines has a sharp mind, a witty humor and the best attitude about life and longevity.

When asked how he was doing on a recent afternoon, Joines summed it up nicely. “I am still hopping,” he said. “Just not as high.”

The Mulls will be honoring him with a birthday party on Saturday. Friends and relatives from several states are expected to make the day special. Joines’ only surviving sister, Alice Lee, will be in attendance. He was one of nine children in his family of seven girls and two boys born to Stella and Harley Joines.

From Madisonville to Alcoa

“I have been living in Alcoa for 78 years,” he said as he shared his remarkable story. He was born in Madisonville, TN and graduated from Central High School there. That was in 1932. On days he didn’t have other transportation, he rode a horse to school, this centenarian said.

After graduating from high school, Joines started working at a sawmill. His other jobs included working at a mill called Bond-Woolf (later named Veach-May-Wilson) in Alcoa that made flooring and also a brief stint at ALCOA, Inc. He worked in the pot rooms there. It was a tough and dirty job, Joines said, one he didn’t end up missing.

Lucky for him, there was something better that came along. Joines ended up getting hired by the Alcoa Post Office to carry the mail. He did that for 23 years and was also assistant postmaster for 10.

“I have been retired for 40 years,” the Alcoa resident said. “But I was also in real estate for 20 years.”

Joines said during that time, he would buy old buildings, fix them up and then sell them.

On this particular afternoon, Joines was with the Mulls, who take care of him on a daily basis. Don had surprise for his father-in-law, a key to the city of Alcoa.

“I give these out all the time,” the mayor said. “After this many years, I think he deserves one.”

Gift of good health

Last year Joines reached centenarian status, something few people do. The fact he doesn’t live in a nursing home and can do about everything for himself is amazing, Wilma and Don said. And while Joines didn’t have an answer about the secret of his longevity, this couple had their ideas.

“Ne never drank, he never smoked or cussed,” Don said. Wilma said his diet is a healthy one as well. He eats a lot of oatmeal, drinks water and doesn’t eat between meals, she said.

He was diagnosed with adult onset diabetes about 15 years ago but that hasn’t slowed him down. He takes his own blood sugar and knows to stay away from sweets and carbohydrates.

There were a couple of bumps in the road when he was in his 90s. Joines had to have his gall bladder removed and a short time later had a bout with kidney stones. He bounced back.

Wilma is the only child of James L. and Laura E. Nix Joines. Laura passed away in 2009 at the age o 91.

“We got married in 1935,” Joines recalled. “When she passed away we liked five weeks of having 74 years.”

This couple met at a brush arbor meeting in Madisonville, Joines said. He sat down behind Laura and her cousin.

“He told mother when he met her that he told himself, ‘I am going to marry that woman,’” Wilma said. They dated a year before tying the knot.

Joines was 22 at the time and didn’t own a car, Don said. “He had to borrow his father’s car.”

He’s had several since. Joines said he bought a new car about every year that he worked at the post office. He never went into debt for them or when he purchased a home.

A reason to smile

It will be a great day Saturday when Joines gets together with family and friends to celebrate this milestone. He is a member of Alcoa First United Methodist so they will be joining in. Birthday cake and plenty of smiles will be the order of the day.

Looking back, Don said he thinks his father-in-law has aged so well because he has kept up a routine, despite having been retired for decades. Joines still goes to bed early, rises before the sun and even makes his own breakfast. He has his favorite television shows like “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy.” He reads The Daily Times from cover to cover daily. He visits with friends at Foothills Mall. He enjoys his meals at the same time each day.

“He is very structured,” Don said. “I guess that carries over from his postal days.”

Hearing aids and glasses are required, but beyond that, Joines is healthier than most. He has his own teeth. His blood pressure and cholesterol are good. He’s never had to stay in the hospital.

Ask Joines about the changes he’s seen in his community of Alcoa and he will point to residential areas and tell you that was the countryside back when. Lots that sold for $800 back in the day now sell for $40,000, he said.

When he says he’s going down hill, Wilma and Don can’t help but laugh a little. They say people half his age have more problems. “There aren’t many people his age with a mind like his,” Don said.