Twins Mary Lee Jones and Albert Lee Stewart set to mark 100 years of life

Mary Lee Jones and her twin brother Albert Lee Stewart have seen it all. The Great Depression, World War II, the moon landing and everything since.

They’ve been there for each other at every step. As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary this month, Jones and Stewart will be celebrating 100 years of laughter, support and family.

Being this age "makes me feel great," Jones said. "I don’t feel like I’m 100. We’ve lived, and we’re going to live longer."

"I don’t think about [being 100]," Stewart said.

Born less than five minutes apart on July 27, 1926, in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, the twins were the youngest of six children.

"We lived in a country town in a country house," Jones said. "It really was nothing."

Jones was born first, and she reminds Stewart of that every day.

"I came first, and then he came along, so I’m the boss," she said.

The twins were born in their house, though only Mary Lee had been expected.

Jones also was the only girl in her family, growing up with five brothers.

Moved to Harlem

Their family would often make trips to Harlem in Manhattan, where they owned a house. In the early 1940s, they moved to Harlem permanently to attend high school.

"I’m a New Yorker, I’m not a Virginia person," Jones said. "Don’t I look like a New Yorker?"

"New York offered you a lot more things that Virginia could not offer you," she added.

Stewart eventually moved back to Virginia, went to college at Georgetown University, served in the Army and worked in HR at the Pentagon until he was 50. He’s never been married, has no children and has been retired for nearly half his life.

"He’s never been married, he’s still looking for a girlfriend," his niece, Kerry Jones, said with a laugh. "He’s single and still looking to mingle. He’s still a little flirty when we go out."

He doesn’t need glasses or hearing aids, takes no medication besides a few daily vitamins, and Kerry Jones and his other niece Keely Jones say they’ve never seen him sick or angry a day in his life.

The key to a long and healthy life? He never drank alcohol, smoked anything or done any kind of drugs. He eats home-cooked meals made from scratch, takes long walks on the beach, plays the piano and loves to travel.

Now, he lives with Mary, Keely and Kerry at their home in Roosevelt, where the latter take great care of their mom and uncle.

Keely, 68, and Kerry, 69, grew up watching their mother, Mary, take care of her mother when she got old. They see taking care of her and her twin brother as a privilege, not a chore. They never considered sending her to a retirement home and plan their schedules so their mom and uncle are never alone.

Mother of six

Jones married at 21 and had six children, Kerry and Keely being the fourth and fifth, respectively. She later moved to Long Island, working in hospitality administration in Brooklyn. She loves to travel, bake, take walks on the beach and entertain. She was featured in "Look" magazine and, according to her daughters, was the first Black employee at Lord & Taylor.

Jones now has seven grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great-grandchildren.

The two almost-centenarians have always had each other's backs, no matter what.

"We just talked to each other," Stewart said. "Whatever had to be done, we’d do it."

"We have never lost touch with each other," Jones said. "We always stayed in touch, he always called me, or he always sent something to me. That’s the life we lived. I never had the feeling I was without him. He would call me to see what I was doing, to ask ‘are you OK?’ "

Some advice they would give to their younger selves?

"Keep yourself together," Jones said. "Never let yourself go. The key is taking care of yourself. Don’t ever let anybody throw you around and treat you badly. If they want to do that, you tell them ‘there’s the door, lead yourself out, because you’re not going to stay here and treat me badly.’ "

"We had a good life, really," Jones added. "We were surrounded by good people that looked after us. We really had it well for poor people. We never missed a meal."

Later this month, Mary and Albert will celebrate their 100th birthdays with a party at their house. Jones' daughters are hoping to get as many family members to attend as possible.