How Old Is The Oldest Person You've Ever Known?

Funny, I've thought about that often when I see the Prudential ad on TV because there is some pretty good longevity on my mother's side of the family.   Mom is now 96-years old and going strong.    Her Dad (my granddad) made it well into his 90's.......98 I believe.....and Mom's brother and sister survived nicely well into their 90's,   Though it doesn't do much for my genes, but my Mother-in-law survived to just short of her 102nd birthday.      That's huge and we gave her full credit for the 102 years even though she came up a couple of weeks short of 102 before she passed away.    Up to today, she's the oldest person I've ever known.    Well get this.......over the weekend, I attended a birthday party for my Mother-in-laws sister Dorothy.......celebrating 103 on this planet.   One-hundred-and-three years old and with the exception of a profound hearing loss, which she has endured most of her life, this woman is an amazing specimen.   Sitting up straight at the table, she smiled and waved when my wife and I came in the door....and then proceeded to resume chowin' down on some birthday cake like a hungry young kid.

Theodore Roosevelt had launched the 20th century as the President of the United States and left office just before Dorothy Richards was born.   In 1910, William Howard Taft became the 27th President of the United States and "Aunt Dot" started her trek on this earth......103-years ago.....and there she sat over the weekend, surrounded by her three children (one of them almost 80-years old now).    I don't have a clue how many grand and/or great-grandchildren she has, but this woman has endured, with many obstacles, 103-years of life...and believe me when I tell you, you couldn't find one negative word about this woman if you researched back to when Taft was President.

Your niece Peg (my wife) and many, many others are proud to have had.,....and still have,  your guidance on how life should be lived.   I'm proud to have stood by your side over the weekend and shared the family homage for you....and everything your 103 years represents.   Happy Birthday Dot Richards!!!!!    Wow......103.