Delta Cave recently celebrated her 106th birthday, December 9, 1916. To commemorate Cave’s historic birthday, family and friends held a private dinner at her southside home. Adding festiveness to the day were visits from local news networks and a day of prayer at her church, New Apostolic Shiloh Holiness Church.
“Church is my life,” said Cave.
Born and raised on Jacksonville’s Southside, Cave attended and graduated from The South Jacksonville Grammar School for African American students, now known as Douglas Anderson School of the Arts (DASOTA). Even at 106, Delta leaves no stone un-turned in her day to day activities. Accompanied by loving friends, she can often be seen throughout the city dining, visiting the infirmed or event at the movies.
A staple in her community, Cave has been on the frontline as a civil rights activist, mother/grandmother/aunt to many and her hairstylist career which has spanned more than 80 years. As a young woman Cave wanted to become a hairstylist, she attended Jones Beauty College and as a child, Madame C.J. Walker was her hero. Cave’s nurturing career also includes working part-time as a Head Start bus driver and was married to her husband, Marion Cave for 23 years. A style maven herself, Cave quipped, “I never leave home without my hair in place. I’m a stickler for beauty,” said Cave.
