Maybelle received a letter from the White House on her 103rd birthday. She also Skyped with her granddaughter Michelle who lives in Reno. When asked, “How do you live to be 103?” Maybelle said, “Work hard.” She attributes her long life to being a farmer's daughter, but her love of walking also played a role in her good health. She has won more than seven walking competitions over the years.

Maybelle, born and raised in California grew up on a farm milking cows and helping her mom with household chores. She remembers going to school in the early 1920s riding three miles in a wagon being pulled by the family donkey. Maybelle and her husband of 60 years raised two children. She has five grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.