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WHEELING -- For most, reaching the age of 104 is an incredible feat, but friends and family of soon-to-be 104-year-old Naomi Lowe-Hupp believe that the secret to her longevity is simply living a good life.
Born on Oct. 11, 1919, Hupp has served as a mentor to not only the students she instructed as a teacher in Ohio but has guided countless others throughout her long life.
Her son, John Lowe, explains much of what he has learned came from observing his mother, who lives by the motto, "Do the right thing the right way, and everything will work out."
"She's just a very, very kind woman who has a keen sense of direction of what she was going to do," said Lowe.
Witnessing this "keen sense of direction" in his mother's professional aspirations, Lowe noted that Hupp was a very career-driven woman "when this was not as commonplace."
Attending Moundsville High School and then graduating from the then Muskingum College, Hupp was a music teacher in Louisville, Ohio and then Carrollton, Ohio. After marrying her first husband, Dale Lowe, Hupp moved to Cincinnati with him and taught first grade.
Lowe explained that his path to becoming an administrator in higher education was influenced by watching his mother teach and study history.
"She did tell me not to get into education because you get no money," joked Lowe. "She wanted me to be a dentist, but if my mother had given me an aptitude test, she would've realized why that wouldn't work out."
Apart from inspiring her son as an educator, Lowe explained that his mother influenced his love of music, as Hupp's childhood was "filled with music" due to his mother.
Lowe elaborated that beyond teaching music, Hupp was always playing her piano or organ for "a lot of different events." Hupp played the organ for the Christ United Methodist Church in Wheeling as well as being a member of the choir.
"I have a picture of me as a kid sitting under the piano while she's playing it," said Lowe. "There was always music in the house because we had one of the first little portable stereos in the neighborhood."
Lowe recalled spending the seven-hour trip from Hupp's hometown of Moundsville to Cincinnati listening to the Arthur Godfrey show on the Chicago Radio Station.
"My mother and I listened to all that '40s big band jazz back then, and I still listen to it today," added Lowe.
One genre Hupp did not introduce to Lowe was rock and roll, who joked he came under "the terrible influence" of the genre in the early 60s. The son kept his love for the genre hidden from his mother.
"I kept the rock and roll secret from Naomi not because she was strict, I just didn't want to disappoint her," explained Lowe.
Another passion that Hupp shares with those around her is a love of historical research and preservation, compiling and publishing the 1984 book "Schools, Churches, Cemeteries- Marshall County, WV" with her late husband Dale Lowe.
Hupp was also an editor of the Centennial book "History of Moundsville High School, 1977," and was named a West Virginia History Hero in 1999 for her service to the state.
Describing Hupp as a "walking history book of Marshall County," historian Margaret Brennan commends the work Hupp has done in cataloging the families of the county alongside its buildings and institutions.
"Throughout the years, I have called her many times for information, and if she didn't know it right off, she would look it up and get right back to me," said Brennan. "I've said this so many times: a lot of history is not in books, it's in the people.
"Naomi is one of those people."
While Hupp has received the label of a "history book of Marshall County," her roots in Moundsville tie her to the president of the Marshall County School Board, her nephew John Miller.
Describing Hupp as a "second mother" to him when Miller was under her care for five weeks after his father had surgery in 1954, Miller explained he has maintained a close bond with his aunt since then.
"I can't say enough good about my aunt, and anyone who meets her would say the same," said Miller. "Living to her age is pretty, pretty uncommon, and she's lived a good life."
Miller admits he wishes he was related to Hupp through blood, as her side of the family, and not his uncle's Henry Hupp, "has the strong age genes."
While Miller "can't claim Hupp's longevity genes," he explained that he believes she has reached such an impressive age through "just living a good life."
"She never abused herself with alcohol, tobacco or anything," said Miller. "She's watched her diet, exercises and I think she still does physical therapy even now."
Hupp continues her good life at the Elmhurst House of Friendship, moving to live there with Henry Hupp in 2009.
Since her husband's passing in 2017, Lowe has been managing Hupp's finances. The switch to the son taking care of the mother has been "very gradual" for Lowe, saying it was "pleasant" to see Hupp put her faith in him taking care of her.
"I'm glad she hasn't had to worry about any finances for the past six years," said Lowe. "I've been retired for the same amount of time I've been managing her affairs, and I kid that it's been my part-time job."
Calling his mother every day, Lowe said Hupp still teases him and cracks jokes, adding that the biggest problem for her communication-wise is that she needs to get her ears cleaned.
Lowe attributes Hupp's ability to still be so sharp when speaking with him to her will and determination as a person. He noted witnessing a change in his mother's personality after her second husband died.
"After Henry passed, everybody said, "Well, that'll be it, she won't last long," said Lowe. "But what happened was she blossomed in a way."
Lowe explained his mother sat him down after Henry Hupp died, "looking very determined."
"She told me, "Well, I was on my own when I was 21, and I did it then so that I can do it now," said Lowe.
From that conversation onwards, Lowe described Hupp gaining a "new personality," becoming more extroverted and funnier, along with being "even friendlier" than she was before.
After her husband's death, Hupp still faced further challenges, with Lowe explaining that the COVID-19 pandemic was a "very isolating" time for his mother. He described Hupp ending up in the hospital in 2020 without hearing aids or glasses, which made advocating for herself difficult.
"At that age, isolation is terrible because you especially need that personal interaction," said Lowe. "But she hung on through that time in the hospital to make it over to Good Shepherd."
Without her determination, Lowe does not think Hupp would have made it out of the hospital to the Good Shepherd Nursing Home and then back to Elmhurst.
"She told the nurses at Good Shepherd, "I'm going back home," and they told me that they couldn't imagine that happening," said Lowe. "And then three months later, she was back in her apartment at Elmhurst, and to this day, she still walks to the dining room at least once a day."
While at Elmhurst, Hupp continues to be a mentor for those in the facility, still making new friends playing her favorite games of bridge and euchre.
Executive Director of Elmhurst The House of Friendship Jamie Crow said she has grown attached to Hupp over the 14 years the resident has spent at the facility.
"It means the world to have her here, she's such a wonderful person," said Crow. "We learn from her, she's learned from us and it does our heart proud to know we can take care of her."
On the secret to Hupp's longevity, Crow attributed her "sweetness" to her long-lasting life, explaining that she has been a mentor for many residents at Elmhurst - and even Crow.
"I mean, the history that she has is incredible," said Crow. "I've had conversations with her that have gone on for hours, she's been a mentor to me in many ways.
Some people think we have the fountain of youth here, and we may."
On Hupp's birthday celebration next Wednesday, WHISK cupcakes will be served. Lowe plans to fly in from Maine to see Hupp alongside other family members who will pay her a visit.
Another stop for birthday festivities will be Coleman's Fish Market, with Miller adding they do not want to "wear Naomi out too much" but want to visit some of her favorite spots in Wheeling to celebrate the milestone.
"When thinking about my aunt, only positive traits come to mind," said Miler. "She's always been considerate of other people, and in turn, we want to make sure she's appreciated for as long as she's here."
Hupp has nothing to share regarding the secret to her longevity, but does look forward to getting some cupcakes on Wednesday.