Who is the Oldest Person You Have Personally Known and what are were Their Characteristics?

Just curious about the behaviors, outlook on life , habits, religiousness, etc. of the oldest person you have known on a personal level?

The oldest person I have known is my Great Grandmother, she lived into her late eighties and was an amazing woman. She was very emotionally tough. She lived through the Great Depression and sent two of her sons to WW2, rolled her own cigarettes and smoked them out of those black colored 1920’s style extenders(I don’t know what they are called). She could use cuss words that would make you blush. I loved her and thought she was the best.

My favorite time with her was during a family gathering and she was sitting alone and I who was about 10 at the time; went and sat down next to her and she told me about how her husband’s (my Great Grandfather) ghost would come home everyday and walk to the bathroom and shut the door; it was his daily routine before he was killed in an early days automobile accident. She was Roman Catholic, although you wouldn’t know by talking to her.

I would love to hear her take on today’s happenings.

a reply to: Onlyyouknow

My Great-Gram was born in 1898 and lived until she was 96.

Hands down the greatest person i've ever known. Her inner strength and un-dying self reliance was something to admire.

She cut pulpwood down with a bucksaw from the time she was 12 until 16.

They don't build them like that anymore.

a reply to: Onlyyouknow

My grandmother was bourn in 1925. I never do the math because shes still alive.
She is West Virginia coal miners daughter and Great Grandad brought the family down to Florida to escape some troubles.She loves Elvis more than Jesus but not more than me. She doesn't get out much but still has a .32 in the glovebox of her sweet continental.

a reply to: Onlyyouknow

There was this lady who I used to wake up in the mornings. She was 104.

Always cheerful, could still walk to the sink to brush her teeth.

She did the big grin face for me a couple of times, "They're all my own."

a reply to: Onlyyouknow

108...

basically a vegetable that you feed that calls out for mommy on occasion

very sad

a reply to: MykeNukem

She is very admirable, especially since I had to google image “bucksaw”. That was one tough lady.

I was just thinking about this.

There is a group of about twenty people in Northern New Mexico I met who are all in their late 80's to early 100s who appear decades younger and the oddest thing I noticed was the timber of all their voices are those of folks in their thirties. It was like their voices were dubbed by younger actors.

Their defining characteristics, as I could suss, are that they never take over the counter or prescribed medications, drink deep well water, eat non modified actually organic food and have a large vitamin c habit.

I suppose they could be aliens or vampires, too, but they were very nice, whatever their natures.

a reply to: REDMORGAN
Sounds like you’re safe with Grandma.

Visited my aunt Ida at 103, she was still living on her own. She was hilarious, awesome stories. I am a senior citizen and my parents are both doing well living in their eighties, sixty clicks in the woods. Forty acres in the bush on a lake. He is Riding a Harley and my mom drives a 68 SD Beaumont with a 425 Smedding stroker. 425 Horse. My grandpa was born before Jessie James was shot and killed and yet watched men land on the moon. He called it BS, LOL Old school conspiracy theorist.


a reply to: Onlyyouknow

a reply to: Baddogma

Vedy vedy interesting (said in a vampire like accent).

My Great Grandma never took prescriptions- the prescription craze really got going after her passing.

a reply to: Akragon

I’m sorry.

The actual oldest person I have known, although not personally, was 112. She was as you described as a “vegetable”. It was when I was charge nurse of a nursing home. What made her hold on so long in that condition is beyond my comprehension, except that the only explanation is that the will to live sometimes knows no bounds.

originally posted by: abigredneck
Visited my aunt Ida at 103, she was still living on her own. She was hilarious, awesome stories. I am a senior citizen and my parents are both doing well living in their eighties, sixty clicks in the woods. Forty acres in the bush on a lake. He is Riding a Harley and my mom drives a 68 SD Beaumont with a 425 Smedding stroker. 425 Horse. My grandpa was born before Jessie James was shot and killed and yet watched men land on the moon. He called it BS, LOL Old school conspiracy theorist.


a reply to: Onlyyouknow

That is great! I do have 2 questions. Do your parents go fishing on the lake and if so, what kind of fish do they catch?

a reply to: pthena

Cute. To have her own teeth at that age is quite an accomplishment.

originally posted by: Akragon
a reply to: Onlyyouknow

108...

basically a vegetable that you feed that calls out for mommy on occasion

very sad

I hope you suffer great pain in your enduring years..

Wow what asinine words

a reply to: Onlyyouknow

My mysterious Grandfather who passed just before this whole Covid thing hit.

An often self proclaimed athiest who I only recently found out was an ordained minister when finding old belongings in the attic.
A classically trained musician and successful member of a brass band that toured all over the place which was apparently a big deal way back. I remember him showing me everything from accordians to violins, pianos, fiddles, trumpets, trumbones... endless instruments in his study on the one side and endless newspaper clippings, books, drawings, calligraphy writings neatly stacked.
He would always tell me to read books because they cant change what they put in writing, he gave me a pen with disappearing ink and told me to write anything I want with it and a whole bunch of paper. So I did... and the ink disappeared... then he took the paper back and after a bit came back with the paper and everything I had written showing. Don't write what you really feel about anything ever! You can't take it back or trust anyone else to see your viewpoint like you do. Would show me war newspaper clippings and explain propoganda on either side, then bring in today's paper and show the contradictions with the same stories etc alongside dusting off an old nlp book or similar to link it to how it leans or influences the reader. He talked a lot about the mind.
Lot of other stories that at the time just seemed fun for a grandkid but almost everything he did was a lesson.

Then one day absolutely out of the blue when visiting him. He came down as usual but this time paused, and told me that he was far too busy to waste his time chatting to me, that I knew where the door was and once id finished saying goodbye to my gran im free to leave. At the time I was absolutely shocked, was the complete opposite of the person I thought I knew but now with age I consider it a lesson on the impermanence of all relationships in the end. Taught me to appreciate what you do have when you have it instead of wanting more and more.

Everyone else in the family consider him a horrible man. He was very withdrawn, cold, distant sometimes for months, even a year or just over and would only come down for tea and mealtimes before saying he was too busy, you would hear music notes being played continually, he would write music or piece an idea together or not come out until he understood something. Out of nowhere he would suddenly come out and be around just as long before repeating the withdrawing.

The day before he passed he came downstairs and said to my Gran "here's my stuff, that's me going to go back upstairs to lie down and die." before kissing her head.
However, the next day he came back down, sat in his chair and said he was so sure he was going to die, that it was his time. He was laughing away chattering for a few hours then he said he was just going upstairs for a moment. Went into his beloved dusty old study and passed away on his chair.

I still find out more about his life to this day as the older private generation is passing, the younger ones are sharing information now. I still think he was maybe autistic or something similar when my own father speaks about his upbringing not being the best but regardless my grandfather taught me more in the short time I had with him to stimulate my mind than any other source in childhood. Grateful to him for it.

Hope you don't mind me sharing a big story there. Did not intend my reply to be so long either but once the fingers started typing it came out. I was in a flow state

Edit: PS: if he was still here I would love to hear his take on Covid19. I just realised he was the second oldest person I have known as my gran just passed a few months back but you get the picture

He was 103. He was insanely frugal made his own soap from bacon renders. He was insanely rich and owned tons of properties. He was insanely smart a real polymath spoke upwards of 11 languages most of them from the old country he was of Ukrainian decent. He lived with and took care of his mother until she lived to be 100 also but died 20 years before him. He valued education above all else and had no children of his own. His money the they say went into a series of accounts for his brothers kids only to be used for educational purposes.

He would tell you about how you had to invest in gold a silver while wearing cloths that has burn holes in them
Because they went through a house fire....

The secret to his long life and health according to him before he died? Never ever stop moving. Even if your in pain even if you move a inch at a time get up and go and go as much a you can. He would walk so slow it would drive you mad. He would slowly inch from his home to grocery store to sit outside on the bench and talk to absolutely anyone who would pass him by. I believe it gave him purpose and it kept his mind and body sharp enough to live a long life. He lived very simple but understood all of modernity.

A strange man with a long life to say the least.

a reply to: Onlyyouknow

a reply to: XXXN3O

That is fascinating and thank you for writing it all out.
Sometimes I wonder if the key to long life is to have family, but most importantly; to be happy being alone.

a reply to: Athetos

I am the type that would sit down with him and chat it up- even when I was still in my cool 20’s.

He sounds like he was a great person.

originally posted by: Onlyyouknow
a reply to: pthena

Cute. To have her own teeth at that age is quite an accomplishment.

Whatya mean?

My Great-Gram had her own teeth right there in the glass on the night table.

a reply to: MykeNukem

😬