Conrad Johnson, is the verified 'oldest man' in the United States. He succumbed to old age on Tuesday, December 23, as confirmed by the Rockford Register Star and the director of the funeral home, Olson Funeral & Cremation Services Ltd.
Johnson was a carpenter and the oldest man in the United States, according to Robert Yong, senior database administrator for the National Gerontology Research Group. However, several women are older than him.
He was born on January 19, 1904 in Kymbö, Sweden. Recently, he moved into a nursing home said Rev. Jane McChesney of Tabor Lutheran Church, where Johnson attended since the 1930s. "He lived a good health until earlier this year. We had a birthday party for him last January. He enjoyed it, but it wasn't quite with the same vigor. He had just started using a walker for the first time," McChesney said.
He was a carpenter in his hometown until he was 102 and then lived in a retirement community until he suffered from stroke in April 2013. His condition deteriorated from then on.
A longtime friend and the one who mostly handled Johnson's business affairs recalled Johnson's personality and sense of humor. "He always had an eye for the ladies, too. The nurses who took care of him at the nursing home used to give him a kiss on his forehead when they left the room. He'd always say I want a better one, right on the lips," he recalled.
He was married two times but had no children. His first wife died in 1988 while his second wife died in 2002. He is survived by his nephew, Edward I. Johnson from New Jersey.
Johnson has linked his vigor and long life to eating a bowl of oatmeal every morning and having a lot of exercise. In an interview on his 109th birthday, Johnson told the Register Star: "I can't complain. I feel good and I haven't been sick for a long, long time."