RIP, Walter
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2011 2:16 pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Breuning wrote:<<Walter Breuning (September 21, 1896 – April 14, 2011) was an American supercentenarian. He was the last known surviving man who was born in 1896. Breuning was the oldest undisputed American-born man on record. Having lived at the Rainbow Retirement and Assisted Living Center in Great Falls, Montana, for the last 32 years, Breuning was in good health. He was a lifelong cigar smoker, but quit in 1999. He was able to walk, and ate two meals a day. He maintained a sharp mind and accurate memory. For example, he could remember his grandfather talking about his experiences in the American Civil War when he was three years old, and remembered the day President William McKinley was shot as the day "I got my first haircut". He took no prescription medications. In November 2007, at the age of 111, Breuning was fitted with hearing aids.[img3="Walter Breuning in seventh grade, second from left,Click to play embedded YouTube video.
top row with blue "x", October 1907"]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... hgrade.jpg[/img3]
Breuning dressed in a suit and tie every day. On his 112th birthday, Breuning said the secret to long life is being active: "[If] you keep your mind busy and keep your body busy, you're going to be around a long time." On February 16, 2009, Breuning made an appearance on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, giving his views about the current state of the economy and the newly elected president. Breuning said that the first president he ever voted for was Woodrow Wilson. On April 24, 2009 Breuning was interviewed on CBS by Steve Hartman for Assignment America. When asked by Hartman if he would do a second CBS interview in four years, Breuning said, "Well hell you sure can!"
Breuning died of natural causes in a Great Falls hospital on April 14, 2011. He had been hospitalized since the beginning of the month with an undisclosed illness. In an interview with The Associated Press last fall, Breuning attributed his longevity to eating just two meals a day, working as long as he could and always embracing change – especially death. "We're all going to die. Some people are scared of dying. Never be afraid to die. Because you're born to die," he said.
Walter Breuning was born in Melrose, Minnesota. He was the son of John Breuning and Cora Morehouse Breuning, and had two brothers and two sisters. In 1901 when he was 5, his family moved to De Smet, South Dakota, where he went to school for nine years until his family broke up in 1910. Breuning referred to this time as "the dark ages", as his family lived without electricity, water, or plumbing, describing it as "carry the water in, heat it on the stove. That's what you took your bath in. Wake up in the dark, go to bed in the dark. That's not very pleasant". Longevity runs in Breuning's family. His paternal and maternal grandparents lived into their 90s, and his siblings lived to ages 78, 85, 91 and 100. His parents had long lifespans as well.
In 1910 aged 14, Breuning dropped out of school; he began scraping bakery pans for $2.50 weekly. He joined the Great Northern Railway in 1913, working for it for more than fifty years. During his early years, Breuning commented that he would have to hide from owner James J. Hill, as Hill did not want any railroad employees under the age of 18 (Breuning was first hired at age 17). Breuning worked for the Great Northern Railway until age 66, and was also a manager/secretary for the local Shriner's club until age 99. During World War I, he signed up for military service, but was never called up. He moved to Montana in 1918, where he continued working as a clerk for the Great Northern Railway. There, he met Agnes Twokey, a telegraph operator from Butte. He was married to her from 1922 until her death in 1957. They had no children and Breuning never married again stating that "Second marriages never work; even first marriages don't work today.” When World War II broke out, he was too old to serve.
Around the age of 64, Breuning was diagnosed with colon cancer. It was successfully treated and did not return. Breuning didn't have any other health issues until he broke his hip at the age of 108. He spent eight days in the hospital and was totally healed in 21 days. Breuning attributed much of his longevity to his diet. Shortly after his wife died, Breuning started eating out at restaurants. Eventually, he stopped dining out, but he continued eating two meals a day. He ate a big breakfast and a hearty lunch but skipped an evening meal, snacking on fruit instead. Breuning consumed a lot of water plus a cup and a half of coffee with breakfast and one cup with lunch. He got up every day at 6:15 a.m. and had breakfast at 7:30 a.m. He then took a stroll around The Rainbow for exercise and could then be found sitting in the lobby chatting with fellow residents.
His weight was around the same for the last 50 years of his life (between 125–130 pounds (57–59 kg)). Because Breuning was 5 feet 8 inches, his body mass index was around 19. For years Breuning took a baby aspirin daily, but he eventually gave that up. In his later years he took no medication at all, stating that he didn't need it. Breuning believed another key to his longevity was keeping his mind and body active, not retiring until the age of 99 and until very recently doing calisthenics every morning. Though his vision didn't allow him to read anymore, Breuning kept his mind active by listening to the radio.
The week before his 113th birthday in September 2009, Breuning fell and bruised his scalp, but was otherwise unhurt. During his 113th birthday celebrations, Breuning said: "Remember that life's length is not measured by its hours and days, but by that which we have done therein. A useless life is short if it lasts a century. There are greater and better things in us all, if we would find them out. There will always be in this world - wrongs. No wrong is really successful. The day will come when light and truth and the just and the good shall be victorious and wrong as evil will be no more forever.">>
