GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Walter Breuning learned to read by kerosene lantern, remembers his grandfather telling him about fighting in the Civil War and cast his first presidential ballot for Woodrow Wilson.
The 112-year-old resident of Great Falls, Mont., became the world’s oldest man when 113-year-old Henry Allingham of England died Saturday. Breuning was born Sept. 21, 1896.
Breuning takes one aspirin and eats two meals a day. He still walks the ramps to his second-floor apartment at the Rainbow Retirement Home.
Breuning said he’s more grateful for his health than he is for a world title.
“If you’re in good health, you’ve got everything there is,” he told the Great Falls Tribune.
Longevity doesn’t run in Breuning’s family. He said his father, a civil engineer, died at 50, and his mother, a housewife, at 46.
Breuning credits his longevity to keeping busy and practicing moderation. His advice for living to a ripe old age? Stay active in body and mind, don’t eat too much and be good to people.
