Atlanta man celebrates 100th birthday

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An Atlanta man is turned 100-years-old this week, and family and friends gathered on Saturday to celebrate his life. James "Grandpa" Jacobs, who turned 100 on Wednesday, May 10.

Jacobs moved to Atlanta from his hometown of McComb, Mississippi, in 2007 after his long-time wife, Elizabeth Jacobs, passed away.

His celebration was held at the Golden Corral in Snellville on Saturday.

Jacobs favorite hobbies are fishing, cooking, and driving his car around Snellville.Dominique Noelle, the 30-year-old great-granddaughter of James Jacobs is also a caregiver for Jacobs, with his 80-year-old daughter, Mary Cook.

"What I do is look after them at all times," Noelle said. "It's a blessing to have family to look after you when you're of age at a certain stature. He's still mobile and has more energy than a lot of people younger than him. As long as he can get to Popeye's most days, he's just fine."

Jacobs has a favorite saying, and it actually relates to his adopted state. It goes like this: "When it rains in Georgia, it rains all over the world." It was a record 1969 dubbed "Rainy Night in Georgia" by Brook Benton.

"It's just a saying he lives by," Cook said. "Maybe he believes it's true (laughs)."

Cook's best memory of her father was when he took her to the Mardi Gras festival in New Orleans as a young girl many years ago.

"I was living in Mississippi at the time," Cook said. "When we would drive down to New Orleans for the Mardi Gras every year, it would be a special bonding me for my father & I."