Lifestyle

This Woman is Now the Oldest Living American at Age 113

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Adele Dunlap from New Jersey is now officially the oldest living American and the 10th oldest person in the world at 113-years-old. She’s been a teacher, a wife and a mother to three in her long life.

ABC 13 reports that after being asked how old she was, Dunlap said 104. Susan Dempster, the activities director of the Country Arch Care Center where Dunlap lives, replied, “I think it’s something women do, shave 10 years off, so 113, she’s happy at 104, so we’ll let her be 104. But she is 113, she’ll be 114 this December.”

Dunlap only checked herself into the Country Arch Care Center when she was 99. Of course, she has slowed down quite a bit, but she still looks forward to Christmastime.

Surprisingly, there are 7 more people in the care of the Center that are over 100 years old. Once a person reaches 110, they’re considered “supercentenarians” and tracked by the Gerontology Research Group in Los Angeles.

Many people want to know how she’s kept living for so long and had such an active life well into her 80s. Her son, who is now 86-years-old, said, “She never went out jogging or anything like that. She’s not really thin, but she never weighed more than 140 pounds. She smoked, and when my father had his first heart attack, they both stopped. I think she ate anything she wanted.”

Maybe the key to a long life is simply living a happy one.