When Edie Ceccarelli was born in 1908, horse-drawn carriages still ran the streets of her hometown of Willits, California.
She was in her 30s when World War II broke out.
While she has outlived several close relatives, she is not alone. Ceccarelli still lives in the small city of Willits, and the whole town celebrated her 116th birthday, which falls on February 5, with a parade. Neighbours waved and shouted “Happy birthday!” during the parade, held Sunday, February 4.
In fact, residents of Willits have held festivities on Ceccarelli’s birthday every year since she turned 100 years old. In a past year, she’s said her secrets to longevity are “a couple of fingers of red wine with dinner, and mind your own business,” it was reported.
As the oldest person living in the U.S. and the second-oldest person in the world, Ceccarelli, along with the city of Willits, has drawn the attention of a documentary featuring the world’s oldest people and of media outlets in places as far as New York and London.
“Her birthday, ever since she was 100, has always been a community thing, a public party,” parade organizer Suzanne Picetti said. “It brings community together to celebrate a really special human being. It brings a lot of joy and happiness to our community.”
