Editor’s note: Click here to submit the name of an Akron resident celebrating their 100th birthday since Jan. 1, 2024. They’ll receive a birthday greeting from Akron Mayor Shammas Malik.
She’s surrounded by green leather furniture. A brown piano with nick nacks on top. Sheet music turned to page 77.
Her Sherbondy Hill residence is flush with images of family and friends — six generations. Memories of sweet potato pies, cinnamon rolls, banana puddings and prune cake. Her favorite.
“Who would have thought that I would have made it this far,” Mary Leena “Doll” Weems Lee said days before her 105th birthday party.
Her longevity makes her a part of an exclusive club. In the United States, centenarians comprised 0.03% of the population in 2024 — about 101,000 people. (That number will quadruple in the next three decades.)
Weems Lee’s secret? Trust the Lord and just live.
She’s done both, her life revolving around God, family and music.
She started playing the piano as a kid, learning from her mother and others. She performed in faith spaces, including Centenary United Methodist Church, where she’s been a member for eight decades (she previously sang in the Chancellor Choir).
She was a member of Gospel Meets Symphony; the Silverettes, an Ed Davis Community Center group that performed around town; the Gold Star Wives organization for veteran spouses. She sang on a radio show; worked as a school crossing guard; traveled to Hawaii; walked trails around town.
At a craft class, she met Willie James Lee, an U.S. Army veteran and former South Akron Awnings running back in the semi-professional football league. Their 57-year marriage included raising their five children.
The jewel of Akron is its people. They’re vibrant and resilient. Flawed, yet thoughtful and nurturing. And all of them come with compelling stories. That’s why we launched “Akron in 330.” This series offers a glimpse into everyday folks’ journeys across our many neighborhoods — 330 words at a time. Know someone we should consider? Tell us here.
Family members said Weems Lee is always concerned about others, making sure they are comfortable.
Slyvia Baxter, Weems Lee’s fourth-eldest daughter, remembers her mother helping her grade papers and put up bulletin boards during her career in education. “She has always been supportive,” Baxter said.
“My mother is the most beautiful person I ever met in my life,” added Weems Lee’s third-eldest daughter, Brenda McKnight.
She continues her daily stretching, exercises in bed and laps around the living room and dining room.