10/08/2026
They say the secret to a long life can be found in places around the world. Maybe they should come visit an Indiana farm. ❤️🌽
91. 89. 87. Three siblings. Still here. Still active. And still showing the rest of us how it's done.
Meet the family behind the values that helped build GreenLawn by Design.
My dad, James Mickow, is 91. His sisters, Lois and Marjie, are 89 and 87. And their mother, my grandmother, lived to 94.
They grew up on an Indiana farm. Chickens, gathering eggs, hogs, gardens, corn and soybeans. Long days, hard work, and a whole lot of faith.
Nobody talked about exercise or staying active back then. There were animals to feed, crops to tend and work that needed doing!
But what makes their story remarkable isn't just their ages. It's the lives they've lived.
🌽 Dad never left the farm. At 91, he's STILL farming. He's spent his life caring for the land, building a beautiful farm and sanctuary, and helping other people get their start in farming.
That last part means so much to me. Dad understood that sometimes all a person needs is someone willing to give them a chance.
He didn't just grow crops. He helped other farmers grow their dreams.
❤️ Lois, 89, traveled the country as a Navy wife. She experienced the heartbreak of losing her husband, found love again, remarried and eventually returned to her Indiana roots. She worked full time until 75, has devoted years to the American Legion and Auxiliary, and STILL gardens. Honestly, she gets around more than I do!
🌷 Marjie, 87, built a life in Texas before retiring back near the family farm to be close to her mother. She worked hard her entire life and remains active in her church and in the lives of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
One stayed. Two traveled far from home. All three held on to the same roots.
Faith in God. Love of family. Respect for the land. Helping your neighbor. And doing an honest day's work.
I've been thinking about these three and how much they shaped my life.
When Royce and I started GreenLawn by Design more than 20 years ago, we didn't invent our business values.
I brought them with me from the farm.
Show up when you say you will. Keep your word. Take pride in your work. Treat people like people, not numbers. Give others an opportunity. And always leave something better than you found it.
Those lessons weren't learned in a classroom. I learned them from the people who raised me.
And maybe that's why I've always believed that caring for someone's lawn is about more than growing beautiful grass. It's about caring for the land, the home, and the memories families make there.
Looking at these childhood and family pictures reminds me just how fast life goes by.
These three have lived through tremendous change, love, loss, challenges and blessings.
And they're still going.
I don't know the secret to living into your 90s. But I do know these three taught me a whole lot about how to LIVE.
I'm proud of the business we've built. But I'm even prouder of the people and the roots that made it possible.
Home Grown Lawns. Home Made Memories. 🌱
And for our family, those roots run pretty deep.
Now I have a question for you.
Do you know another family with three or more siblings, ALL 87 or older and still living?
I'd love to hear their ages, where they're from, and what they believe keeps them going!
And if this story reminds you of the parents, grandparents or farmers who helped shape your life, please share it. Their generation has so much to teach us. ❤️🙏
— Catherine, Co-Owner
GreenLawn by Design
