"I don't want to grow old. So I don't act like I'm old. I refuse to do that," Elaine Ooely said.

WELDON SPRING, Mo. — We want to wish a happy birthday to Elaine Ooely from Weldon Spring. She turned 106 on Monday.

Elaine Ooley is the definition of resilient. Here's a short version of her amazing life story. She weighed just one pound when she was born and wasn't expected to survive.

When she was just 4 years old, she survived the 1918 influenza pandemic in America. She went on to graduate high school during the Great Depression. And after that, she served as an aircraft dispatcher in the women's Army Corps.

She said living long is thanks to good genes and an even better attitude.

"My long life is due to the fact that I'm positive in my attitude,” she said. “I don't want to give up. I don't want to grow old. So, I don't act like I'm old. I refuse to do that. And I keep up with all the news so I can converse and am a people person. So, I believe in keeping busy, not feeling sorry for yourself, not worrying about your condition, cope with it, do what you can, and go."

She didn't have children but has tons of friends who all lined up to wish her happy birthday at the Breeze Park Senior Living Community in Weldon Spring. She calls the people at Breeze Park her family.