Reva Standifer Celebrates 99 Years

Mrs. Reva Standifer celebrated her 99th birthday on Saturday, Nov. 19 with a special celebration at St. James A.M.E. Church. Relatives and friends from far and near came to celebrate this special occasion with the retired Jasper County school teacher.

Born November 16, 1917 in Eatonton, N.C., Mrs. Standifer’s parents are the late Norman and Adelle Cross Brinkley. She was one of six children, three boys and three girls. She attended public school in Eatonton, N.C. and then entered the North Carolina State Normal School in Elizabeth City, N.C. Trained as a rural school teacher, she accepted a job in Jasper County and began teaching in 1937 at several rural black schools around the county.

Mrs. Reva married Willie J. “Jaybird” Standifer, a Jasper County native, in 1939 and they had six children (all boys)—Aaron, Norman, Nathanial, Eskine, Whichard and Joel. They are now all grown and have moved all over the U.S.

However, they given her numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

After the boys grew up, Mrs. Standifer enrolled at Fort Valley State College and received her Masters Degree in education in 1962. She then taught sixth grade math at Washington Park School. She is a member of St. James Church A.M.E. where she taught Sunday School for 30 years.