RICHMOND, Va. -- Neighbors in Richmond's Maymont community celebrated someone that they call a living legend: 103-year-old Ida Lee Cheatham.
The changemaker, who is just one of a handful of Richmond’s centenarians, was surprised by the unveiling of a street named in her honor Saturday.
Cheatham has been a force in the Maymont neighborhood since 1959, according to her family.
In fact, her home was the first house on South Meadow Street, which helped to develop real estate and landscaping for the neighborhood.
Her family said she never shied away from bringing things into the area that they wanted.
That is why they said she was a founding member of a Civic League for the neighborhood and rallied for sidewalks and other infrastructure for the area.
By doing so, Cheatham created a space for anyone to stand up to fight for their community, her family said.
“She really rallied up other people," her great granddaughter, Ida Mitchell, said. "This was their neighborhood and they wanted to get it done and they knew what it took.”
The lush trees that still blanket the neighborhood are also linked to Cheatham. She helped plant those trees and was known for her fruitful garden.
She shared her motto of “water from the sky, food from the earth.”
Her family said her house became a home for anyone for more than 60 years. In fact, they called her home "the healing house” because she took care of so many people.
In nonrecognition of the decades of care for her community, neighbors past and present gathered outside her home to celebrate her life on Saturday.
They reflected on how she has inspired generations of Richmonders.
“She taught me how your name will carry you farther than money,” one young boy said.
However, the celebration had a surprise that Cheatham did not see coming.
Her street, South Meadow, was honorarily renamed Ms. Ida Lee Cheatham Way.
Cheatham laughed and could not stop smiling when the sign was unveiled.
“It’s a memorable moment. We are more than ecstatic,” a family member said.
Her family was so touched by the tribute that will ensure neighbors past and present know Cheatham helped forge the community.
Congratulations, Ms. Cheatham!
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