Sampson County’s own Elmon “Turkle” McLamb makes friends wherever he is, and at 101 years old, he still finds a way to put a smile on the faces of everyone he meets.

If anyone needs proof of just how outgoing he is, one only has to look at three pictures of him hanging on the walls of his room at Southwood Nursing Center. In one photo, his grin etches across his face, from cheek to cheek; in the other two, he is about to produce the greatest laugh one has ever heard. All three of these pictures are framed with birthday wishes from the dozens of people he has come to know over the years.

McLamb, who turned 101 on Jan. 6, is from the Piney Green area of the county, and for the majority of his life, he has called Sampson County home.

The only time he ever spent outside of the area was when he lived in New York state and worked in one of its hospitals.

According to McLamb’s son, Woody, Turkle moved to New York in 1948 to work in the hospital.

“Lots of people were working in hospitals at that time,” said Woody, smiling across at his father.

Turkle, who only has a seventh-grade education, said in a soft voice, “I got to look after patients.”

Following this venture, he moved back to his home in Piney Green and lived independently until “almost 101.” A stroke changed his lifestyle somewhat, and brought the need for a change in his living arrangements, but even that the 101-year-old has taken as an opportunity to get to know even more people and to charm them with that famous smile.

Woody also noted how his dad is a big dreamer, someone who went after what he really wanted. For example, he loved cars, and in 1965, he opened up his first car lot, called McLamb’s Auto Sales. Remarkably, he continued car sales until 2000, when he was 91.

Turkle, who has some difficulty speaking now because of the stroke, stated that he may not remember many things, but he does remember the first call he saw.

“It was a Model T,” he said, that smile spreading across his face.

He can also recall who his favorite race car driver is.

“Jimmie Johnson. He is the one,” he said in a near whisper.

In fact, cars are such a big deal to Turkle McLamb that he continued to drive until 1999, despite losing his license in 1997.

As he looks back on his life, Turkle McLamb also can get a little misty-eyed at the thought of how wonderful he thinks it is that God has given him all these years.

“He always enjoys life, and he laughs a lot,” said Woody, stressing that his father could never claim to be a health guru. In fact, he points out, Turkel “ate anything he wanted, and smoked every day from 1920 until 1990.”

As for what forced him to stop smoking, Woody said that he had a cousin die of throat cancer, something that made the elder McLamb think twice about picking up another pack of cigarettes.

While some may not be enthusiastic about nursing home life, Turkle McLamb, his son said, takes his new life in stride.

“He really likes it here,” said Woody, “He even likes the food.” More specifically, Woody stated that the chicken pastry served at Southwood “is just like his mother’s.”

While he may not have a diet plan that specifically made his longevity possible, he did say that there are some things that have made it possible for him to be happy.

Woody stated, “He has no enemies; he likes everybody, and he gets plenty of rest.” Plenty of rest for the elder McLamb translates into going to bed at 6 p.m. and napping from 12 to 3 p.m.

“He also doesn’t worry about anything,” said Woody.

Turkle, his son said, is also grateful to a number of his friends who helped to make sure that he could stay home as long as possible. In particular, his friend Patty Ann Honeycutt, who took him to church and to the grocery store when he finally became unable to do it on his own.

“She is just like a daughter to him,” said Woody.

He also has a number of family members he is grateful for, including his four children, Woody, Sandy, Bill and Steve, and a favorite granddaughter, Stacy.

In addition, he also takes time to make himself happy as well.

“I enjoy myself everyday,” said the elder McLamb, flashing that smile.

Katie Holland can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 136, or by e-mail at silife@myclintonnc.com.