Marjorie Arnold’s 108th birthday in August brought four generations of her family together in Raleigh—and Arnold got up to dance. Born in 1918 in Tarboro, North Carolina, she has spent much of her life caring for relatives and helping neighbors, according to CBS 17. Today, her daughter Lucy lives with and cares for her.
Lucy’s caregiving is part of a family story that now spans generations. She describes caring for her mother as an opportunity she had hoped for: “I asked God to give me that opportunity, and it came,” she said, according to CBS17.
Arnold’s own experience of caring for others began when she was a teenager. She was the oldest of 10 children and, at 14 or 15, cared for her sick mother until she died, then took responsibility for her younger siblings. She also made their clothes by hand, according to the CBS17 account.
A Lifetime Built Around Family and Neighbors
As an adult, Arnold raised her children while working long days on a farm and also brought home-cooked food to neighbors, according to CBS 17. Cooking was a particular passion: her daughter Judy Rhodes recalls her mother’s collards and cabbage and says watching her cook inspired her own love of cooking.
The family Arnold raised is large: her oldest daughter, Clara Alexander, is 87 and has nine siblings. Judy, who lives in Baltimore, says she calls her mother nearly every day, as reported by CBS 17.
Teaching Four Generations by Example
Lucy says her mother taught her children to care for their families and provide for them, largely by example. She also told the station that Arnold brings people together—a quality reflected in the four generations who gathered for her birthday, according to CBS 17.
Arnold still attends church every Sunday, sings and prays, her family says. Those routines, along with the family’s account of her decades of care, were part of the story surrounding her 108th birthday celebration.
Part of a Larger Story in North Carolina
Arnold’s family history sits within a much larger caregiving picture in North Carolina. A 2025 survey cited by AARP estimates that 2.38 million North Carolina adults—27 percent of the state’s adult population—provide 1.15 billion hours of unpaid care each year, valued at more than $16 billion. The survey also found that 54 percent of caregivers report at least one negative financial impact and 58 percent are employed while providing care.
The work can be intensive: the same survey found that 27 percent of North Carolina caregivers provide constant care or spend at least 40 hours a week caregiving, while 56 percent handle medical or nursing tasks at home. The Arnold family’s story spans a teenage caregiver in Tarboro and a Raleigh household where her daughter now cares for her.
Caregiver Support in Wake County
For eligible unpaid adults caring for someone age 60 or older, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services says its Family Caregiver Support Program offers services including short-term respite care; it does not pay caregivers for continuous care. Wake County describes adult day care as a structured daytime program for adults who need supervision, usually for less than 24 hours.
