GREAT FALLS – 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., apparently became the world’s oldest man when 113-year-old Henry Allingham of England died Saturday. Breuning was born Sept. 21, 1896.
Now living at the Rainbow Retirement Home, Breuning takes one aspirin and eats two meals a day. He strolls the halls wearing a suit and tie and still walks the ramps to his second-floor apartment.
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. Two brothers and two sisters died in their 70s, he said.
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.
The Guinness world records Web site said Breuning now appears to be the world’s oldest man and that it will make a formal announcement as soon as the record has been verified.