93-year-old strawberry farmer mentors generations for the future

DOVER, Fla. - Working the farm is more than a passion for Geraldine Williams. It's a way of life. 

As the Strawberry Festival begins this week, many people will literally be eating the fruits of the labors of our local strawberry farmers. At 3 Son Farms in Dover, Williams has been cultivating that fruit since 1964. 

"I love it!" she said. "On a farm you don't have just one job, you've got several. You have to work anything that needs to be done."

That work isn't tapping on computer keys or scrolling a mouse over some 'point and click' websites. It's manual labor, outdoors, in the elements, all year long.

"Hard work, it's not going to kill you, it's going to keep you healthy and well," stated Williams, "There's so much bending and kneeing; it's really exercise."

That exercise and outdoor time, helps Geraldine stay focused on the 'here and now' as visitors come to the farm at 3830 McIntosh Road for 'You-Pick' berries and to visit the vegetable stand.

Watching the next generation enjoy the berries is one of her favorite things.

"It's amazing to watch them out here picking,'" she said smiling, "The kids, they love it... I ask them, ‘Did you eat any berries?’ They say 'No!' Their mouths all red." 

Geraldine's daughter-in-law Janice Williams admitted that she's a fan favorite for their regular customers.

"People come here looking for her," she recalled, "If she's not here, they ask 'where's Geraldine?'

They ask her questions about farming. That's Geraldine's wheelhouse. The work on the farm keeps her active, and the interaction with others, keeps her young. 

"I don't like to sit at home," she confessed, but her advice to those who visit the farm is to leave something else at the house. 

"Leave them phones at home," she said, "It's better to be out in the fresh air."

Geraldine's farm is her home, and she shares that home with others through the hard work of the Strawberry and vegetable crops they produce year round.

"There are people that go unrecognized in their lives that keep the family together," acknowledged Janice, "She's one of them. She just never stops."

Most days you will find Geraldine out and about on the farm her family runs there in Dover. 

You can learn more about Three Son Farms here: https://www.facebook.com/ThreeSonFarms