DUBLIN, Ga. — A person in their 90s is called a nonagenarian, and most have settled into a life of relaxation far away from their working years, but one woman blows that model out of the water.
Betty Acito is not exactly working a 9 to 5, but she is putting in the hours and making a difference.
"She said, 'You really want to do that?' and I said, 'Yeah, I can do that,' Betty said, concerning the job when it opened up.
Like a lot of restaurants, Holy Smokes BBQ was looking for help, and owner Dionn Lanton didn't have far to look to fill one position.
"On Facebook, I see a lot of people complaining about customer service like it's lacking, so when she wanted a job, I asked her if she wanted to handle customer service," she explained.
Dionn owns the place with her husband Gary.
They were whole hog to hire Dionn's grandmother, even though she's 92.
The staff is so tickled, they ask customers the same question.
"How old do you think she is?" Betty rattled off. "Nobody's ever guessed."
And who would? This woman rarely is seen putting up her piggies.
"Hello, gentlemen. How are you enjoying your food?" she said, walking up to some customers.
This is what you call a "win-win situation." Holy Smokes gets their biggest cheerleader, but Miss Betty gets something out of it, too.
"I did not want to go home and sit on the couch and wait to die," Betty said matter-of-factly.
And that's the rub -- when you get to the age of 92, your friends just disappear.
"Almost everyone I know is dead," Betty said sadly.
"It's good for her physically, it's good for her mentally -- she's constantly having to use her brain, and I think that's what kept her young," Dionn said concerning Betty's new job.
She says exercise has also kept her young, something she does before her part-time lunch shift.
"Then I go to the gym five days a week, and then I go line dancing one day a week," she said with a grin.
She did work clerical jobs during her traditional working years.
She even wore mink stoles as a model in New York back in the 1950s.
This job isn't as glamorous as that, but in many ways, it's more gratifying as she unleashes the gift of gab with the customers.
"Sometimes, they're not in a good mood and I want to put a smile on their face before they leave, so I joke with them," she said concerning her customers.
"So I figured she would be the last person they see with a smile on her face, and hopefully they leave happy," Dionn said with her own smile.