Lowcountry woman celebrates 110 years of life

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – It is likely that no one reading this story right now was alive in 1914. Except for Ercelle Moore Chillus.

It was a privilege to sit next to a living legend who has witnessed all those worldly changes, and how turned her experiences into wisdom.

"I feel pretty good for somebody at my age...110 years old ...that's pretty old," said Chillus of celebrating her birthday.

Chillis was the youngest of four siblings, and likely now one of the oldest people living in the Lowcountry. "Nobody in my family ever lives that long," she said.

She was born on Seaside Plantation in 1914. Her father, Donnie Moore, did not work on Seaside Plantation, but he had a small vegetable farm near Folly Road.

"He had seven acres right here from the road all the way back. He bought it while he was working in the city," she said. "He sold his vegetables in the city."

Those seven acres are heirs' property and still in the family.

During our visit, Chillis wanted to talk about the half-century she spent up north.

"I left here in 1930. I wasn't even old enough to vote," she said. Chillis married and raised her children in Newark, New Jersey.

"My children are very important to me. They were all born and raised in New Jersey," she said, adding, "I had four children. I lost two, I had two boys and two girls."

She eventually began working for an agency named Krill where they took care of sick people. "And I worked there until I retired and decided I wanted to come back home," she said.

"I said I wanted to come back down there because I felt I could live a better life there now than I did when I left," she added.

Home – to James Island, South Carolina, and Donnie Moore Lane.

When you have lived more than 57,000,000 minutes, some milestones will stay with you forever. Like meeting presidential candidate Barack Obama in Charleston.

"It was hot that day," she recalled. "It was in the 90s and the line was so long. I said I can't stand in this heat. It's too hot."

Chillis' friend alerted someone on the staff who offered her a seat... just as the future president walked up.

"I got to shake his hand and he said how are you grandma?" she remembered. "That was so exciting!"

"I have many beautiful things in my life," she said. "I have gone to England. I have gone to Paris. And I had the best time. I am very proud of my family and where we come from."

At 110 years of age, Chillis said her faith, family, and friends have been her north star, her guiding light, and empowering her to embrace each day with resilience and grace, proving that age is just a testament to a life lived and loved.