[inspiring thread-you can interpret “known” as either a one time meeting, or someone closer…]
My 99 year old (birth) grandmother, who died 4 years ago.
A 97 YO great-uncle of mine who was sharp as a tack and rather spry until he went to hospital at 95 YO. Not implying anything, it was just a shame.
Two people at 96: my grandmother and David Kyle. My grandmother didn’t recognize me at the end, but I spoke with David last April (he died in September) when he was at Albacon. He helped me immensely by showing up when I was interviewing Ramsay Campbell; I had been thrust into doing the interview with 30 seconds notice, and when David showed up, he and Ramsay began a nice conversation.
A couple that volunteered at a local humane society. They both looked to be somewhere in their late 80s-90s.
I never really “knew” this person, but we had a customer bring a relative into the store I was working at who was 90+ years old and looked decades younger.
My Gran lived to be 104.
( She was still living at home, alone, at 97. Her 89 yr old neighbour would come fetch her and drive her to town so they could do their marketing together! )
My grandfather lived to 102 and was still pretty sharp at the end. My aunt (his daughter) died just short of her 102nd birthday, but unfortunately she’d been suffering from dementia for several years.
That’s on my father’s side. My mother had an aunt and uncle who both lived past 100.
A friend’s mother lived to 105. She was blind and bedridden for a couple of years and her family was actually hoping she’d die.
My mother was 98. My dad 93. I don’t think I ever met anyone older than that.
My grandparents were born in the early 1870s and so was my first-grade teacher. I think they are probably the earliest-born people I’ve ever known.
I myself am moving onto the short list of the oldest people I’ve ever known.
We delivered meals to a 96 year old named Daisy. I have a shirttail cousin who is also 96 and who can still spout family genealogy like she’s reading it out of a book.
My mom made it to 100.5.
This guy. I met him five years ago.
My ex-wife’s grandmother lived to be 99 and her grandfather lived to be 102. He lived for two years without her. In his last days he asked one of his caregivers if he thought Fay would recognize him when he sees her in Heaven.
My husband’s great-aunt just died four months shy of her hundredth birthday.
Two of my aunts - the oldest in each side of the family - both lived to be 99, without any dementia. I still have a living uncle and two aunts, all in their late 90s.
A friend of my Mom’s who made to 103 or thereabouts.
My best friend’s granddaughter is 9. I think I might be the oldest person (78) that she has ever met.
When I was a social worker in 1996, I was contacted by a senior citizen who said her daughters had commandeered her bank passbook and other financial items while she was in the hospital and were refusing to return them. Turned out the daughters thought Mom was way too generous in handing clumps of cash over to a couple of neighborhood teenaged boys who ran little errands for her. They also thought she belonged in supportive living or should at least get on Meals on Wheels.
Also turned out the daughters were adopted daughters. Mom walked around in her little apartment without cane or walker, holding on delicately to the trim on the wall. She was proud of the plaque from NY majory Fiorella LaGuardia thanking her for her decades of service to the community. She was also proud of her diploma from the Charleston Colored Women’s Institute. Which was dated 1914. I did some research and it looked like a typical student would have been in her early 20s at graduation. Her daughter reluctantly returned her bank books and stuff when I explained that unless she was incompetent their good intentions didn’t overrule the fact that she was an adult and they’d taken her stuff without her consent.
I’d call up at least once a week and try to strike up a “how’s it going” conversation and she’d head me off at the pass: “Thank you so much for calling. I am doing well and I do not need meals or any services, I am doing well on my own”. / “Uhh… yes ma’am, good to hear”.
Her daughters did not know her date of birth and said she herself had always told them she didn’t know. Best estimate: 102
My BIL’s God-Mother was 102 when she passed away. We used to visit her in the nursing home, first with our friendly little cat then later with my baby daughter. She was born around 1896 I believe. Cool old lady, she had retired from teaching for 40+ years before I was born. Never had kids of her own, so my BIL and by extension my family had really adopted her I guess.
Pre-Nursing home when she was still *spryish *in her early 90s we used to pick her for Holiday’s at my sister’s like Easter. She was an excellent piano player and she still sang on key but kind of warbled and reminded me of Granny from Tweety Bird.
My Grandmother made it to 95 and was still sharp right to the end. A good run. On her own up to age 93.
My wife’s grandmother made it to 96. She was still very active and living on her own when she passed away.
Both our other grandmothers made it to 90. Bodes well for my daughter.
I’m going to be thrifty and recycle this story about my “Aunt”, who died at age 106:
An acquaintance of mine I met through flying lived to be 102. Mama Bird
My great grandfather - 104, who was sharp until the day he died.