Woman Recognized for 80 Years with Church

CHIRENO (AP) � An East Texas woman has been recognized for her 80-year unbroken membership in her church. Lilly Stone joined the Chireno United Methodist Church in 1933, when she was 8 years old. The Daily Sentinel in Nacogdoches reports that Stone was recently awarded a plaque signed by the church’s bishop and district superintendent honoring her longtime membership. Stone says, “It was a shock. I really didn’t know how long I had been a member. I didn’t think about it.” Stone joined the church while living with her grandmother, whose house abutted the church’s parsonage. Stone celebrated her 88th birthday on Thursday. Chireno is a town of about 400 people in Nacogdoches County.