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Oldest Panama City resident dies at 109 // VIDEOPANAMA CITY, Aug 26, 2011 (The News Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- At 109 years of age, COZ Peterson saw it all, from the coming of the Model T to the onset of the Space Age. On Monday, she died after a long and illustrious life. COZ Peterson's story is one of celebrations and longevity. Born June 26, 1902, the same day Edward VII was crowned king of England, COZ Peterson saw the 20th Century play out and conclude. Former Panama City Commissioner Jonathan Wilson said he remembers her as a child visiting his parents' home in Washington County. "She will be missed," Wilson said Friday. "She was a good Christian woman. When you went over to the Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, you could always count on seeing her there." Wilson said Peterson was involved in helping young women find their way in life. She always was involved in church activities, Wilson said. Bay County Commission Chairman Bill Dozier also sent his condolences. "Living to be 109 years old is a wonderful accomplishment," Dozier said. "Anybody who has lived that long has seen a lot of changes come and go. Ms. Peterson's certainly seen a lot of progress in America and in the world during that time. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family." COZ Peterson came into the world before the introduction of the Model T and in the same year the United States bought the rights to the Panama Canal for $40,000. Peterson has been interviewed a number of times by The News Herald over the years. This past June, her last interview with the paper, she was helped by friends when she talked of her life's experiences. She said she remembered her first Model T Ford. "It was a Ford," she said. "It was really something." Peterson also remembered living through the Great Depression. "We had chickens, rabbits and squirrels," Peterson said. "We did the best we could. We had plenty to eat." Born to a former African slave, she did not have any children of her own but raised three nieces and a nephew. "I made sure they went to school," she said earlier this summer. During her childhood, Peterson had a passion for history and geography and wanted to become a lawyer. She lived in both Jackson and Bay counties. After floods from a hurricane ruined all 15 acres of their crops in Jackson County in the 1920s, Peterson told her husband, "You can farm, but I'm not going to farm anymore." They moved to Youngstown in the mid-1930s and to Panama City in 1944. She worked as a cook and as a domestic worker, and her husband provided janitorial services for Jinks Middle School for 21 years. But at the center of her life was her faith in God and her work at Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church. Deacon George Cox Jr. said Peterson never missed a Sunday unless she was sick and that she taught Sunday school for 41 years. She was in her late 90s when she stopped teaching adult women about the Bible, Cox said. "You can't be a Christian and a devil," Peterson said in one of her earlier interviews. When asked about Peterson's longevity, Cox said: "You have to have a lot of wisdom. You have to have a trust in God. You have to be honest and trustworthy." Peterson has received birthday wishes over the years from President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. The funeral for COZ Peterson is slated for 1 p.m. Monday at the Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church on Palo Alto Avenue in Panama City. "She always spoke from the heart," Cox said. Yes, COZ is her real name When COZ Peterson was born, she simply was called "Sis" or "Sissy" by her family. When the first U.S. Census worker asked for her name, her perplexed father said, "Just call her C-O-Z." Peterson said he never told her what it stood for. ___ (c)2011 The News Herald (Panama City, Fla.) Visit The News Herald (Panama City, Fla.) at www.newsherald.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |