My parents neighbor made it to 99. Well into his 80’s he used to load his lawnmower into the back of his truck and drive into town to mow lawns for the “old” people from his church. Miss that guy.
Your mother died shortly before you wrote this post? My condolences then, though 8 months late.
I love what you said about history.
My grandfather is 96. He is in reasonably good health and has an unshakeably sunny outlook on life and people. Tells me he has no aches or pains, and everything is great. Never complains about anything, even through the COVID lockdowns and assorted inconveniences. He survived a B-17 crash in WW2, and at this rate, I feel like there’s a decent chance he might outlive me.
The oldest person I ever knew was my maternal grandmother, She died in 2012, just three weeks short of her 108th birthday. And she voted in the 2012 election!
Oldest now would be an aunt of mine, that grandmother’s daughter. She’s 86 I think. My mom, her older sister, passed last year.
Oldest people I know are my spouse’s sister and her spouse.
Perks of being in the top generation…
My great-grandmother passed at 101. My grandfather is 96, in fantastic health, survivor of 3 plane crashes (including a B-17). At this point it’s unclear whether he actually can die.
My great aunt died at the age of 96. She’s the oldest person I’ve ever known. The oldest person I know now is my MIL who is 82.
Met a guy who was in his 90’s back in the 80’s. He was a teenager when Hailey’s Comet passed though in 1910!. Doing the math I want to say he was about 92 when I met him and 96 when I moved.
A guy I know from church who completed B-17 pilot training at the tail end of WW2 is 98.