Oldest person you ever met.

In My Humble Opinion
1

Every now and then I see an obit for someone who lived to be 100, or even 101. But usually speaking, I’ve never met anyone at that age face to face. Sure, I’ve known people who lived to 100, but I’d long since moved away and would get a newspaper clipping from my relatives about the birthday party. (One person I knew made it to 100; 25 years earlier she told me about the artillery barrages she heard as a little girl in Switzerland during WWI. It was the first time I’d ever pictured the war as real, as opposed to dusty books with grainy black and white photos).

But that changed a couple of weeks ago when I was talking to someone at a meeting. He pointed out that the guy slowly walking into the room was his Mechanical Engineering professor in 1953. “Okay,” I thought, “he’s getting up there…”

103 years old. Hard of hearing, but still a Ham radio operator. If he’s not the oldest Amateur radio person in the world, I’m sure he’s in the top three. I had to leave early so I didn’t get a chance to speak to him, but it got me wondering: Just how rare or not-so-rare is this

So who’s the oldest person you’ve ever known? Or know of? Did they have a story to tell about the time they…?

2

Less than any options in the poll so I can’t vote. Probably in their 70s but I don’t like to ask.

3

My great-grandpa who died when I was in my teens. He was 81. I may have encountered someone older than that, since I played sax for a *lot *of nursing homes in my high school years. But I don’t think it’s really polite to ask a group of strangers who among them is a centenarian.

4

My neighbors are a couple who are 92 and 86 years old.

5

You needed a spot for less than 100.

The oldest person I met was my great great aunt, who died a few years ago at 96.

6

My Grandma, aged 100. My friend visits her great aunt every month in the nursing home, and the aunt is 104.
My dad is going to be 80 this year and he is as vital as ever.

7

Some branches of my family live to be really old. However, the oldest person that I ever met that wasn’t in a nursing home or hospital was a 103 year old lady from my hometown who spoke to us at the public library when I was a little kid. She told us first-hand what it was like growing up in the 1800’s during late reconstruction after the Civil War. You don’t get to hear that directly too often.

8

Quite a lot of my relatives were (and are) long lived, but not 100 yrs or more. 90s at most. And I hadn’t spoken with them at reaching their peak age either.

I do have a strange vague teasing memory of having met someone who was 100, but can’t confirm.

9

I have known many people who lived into their nineties, including my maternal grandmother who lived to be 95. The oldest one died when she was 99. She had been a farmer’s wife in the rural district where I was born and I had known about her existence for about 40 years, but I only came to actually know her in the last couple of years of her life. She was a grand old lady and I am grateful for having met her.

10

My grandmother died earlier this year at 104.

11

My great-grandmother was healthy and mentally sharp at 101, though blind and nearly deaf. She broke her hip and died thanks to another younger relative foolishly horsing around. Her daughter is now 92 years old and no sign of slowing up.

12

I’ve got a great great aunt that is closing in on 100. Only met her a couple of times, and won’t be again, since I found out her and her husband molested their kids.

13

I used to work at a nursing home, and one of our residents was 104. He wasn’t terribly lucid, but it wasn’t full-on dementia either.

14

When I was a kid, I had a great aunt in her 100s, but I can’t remember exactly how old she was. She was physically very fragile, but otherwise pretty sharp.

15

Does Jesus count?

:stuck_out_tongue:

On a serious note, I did a photojournalism piece for a college class. I interviewed and took environmental portraits of elderly people (not all in nursing homes) in south Texas in 1981. Based on what they said, some were truly ancient of days.
.

16

Under 100 you don’t want to know? or do you think we’ve all met at least 100 yr olds?

My grandfather made it to 97, died plowing with a mule.

17

We deliver Meals on Wheels and routinely talk to 90-somethings. I think the oldest lady is 96.

18

You’ve never met anyone in their 80’s?

My grandmother was 88 when she died. She would definitely be the oldest person I have known personally. Born in 1918 and had a lot of fun stories. I’ll tell one brief one now. :slight_smile:

Imagine the most conservative Christian lady you know. That was my grandmother. As she got past 80, I thought I’d ask more and more about her life(good idea, by the way). One day, I asked her how she met her husband(who she outlived by 20 years).

She said, “Oh, I met him up a Bible camp where I was soloing(singing).”

Me: “Oh.”

She continued: “Yeah, he loved my singing voice and we had a few dates. Eventually, he proposed to me.”

Me: “That’s great.”

She pauses. The whole family is listening to her.

She says: “Yeah. Of course, he was already engaged to some girl down in Florida, but the old bum tried to hide it from me.”

Everyone in the room: “What? Huh?” Shocked silence.

Grandma continues: "Yep, he was engaged to some girl. We were going along engaged and all and his brother had to call me to tell me he was already engaged. I confronted him about it, he admitted it was true, and called down there to break up with her.

Then we got married."

We laughed until we had tears coming out of our eyes(so did Grandma). I’m telling you folks, ask your elders for stories about their lives. They are hilarious and, let’s be honest, the exact same as the crap that happens today.

My grandma…the girl who won!

By the way, when she said, “old bum”, you could tell it was with affection. They were happily married for 45 years before his death.

19

Hell, my mother is 96. Her friends all range from 90 up to about 103.

20

A lady at my Grandmother’s nursing home turned 107 last week. I’ve known her my whole life, and see her when we go visit. And just before Easter, a lady who was thought to be the oldest practicing physician when she retired a few years ago (@ 102? 103?) died at 114. I only met her a couple of times, when I was very young, so I didn’t vote for her in the poll. She was only in her eighties when we interacted.