At 110 years old, Vincent Dransfield still drives his car every day, goes to the store for coffee and buys his lunch.
He lives independently in his home in Little Falls, New Jersey, where he has resided since 1945.
This supercentenarian doesn't need help with daily living, so his grandchildren visit him once a week to bring him groceries and call him every other day to check on him, but otherwise he fends for himself.
Dransfield enjoys good healthapart from pain in his knees and other minor problems, and moves without problems between the main floor of the house, his bedroom upstairs and the basement of the house, where he washes his clothes, his family said.
When asked how he feels at 110 years old, Dransfield jokingly says he's ready to put on the boxing gloves and throw some punches.
“I manage to do everything,” he told .com. “I drive pretty well.”
“He drives very well, better than other people I see,” Erica Lista, Dransfield's granddaughter, told .com.
She and her brother periodically check on Dransfield's driving to make sure she's doing it right. Her family, friends and doctors are surprised by her healthy longevity, they said, adding that she has more health problems at 49 than her grandfather did at 110.
When Dransfield recently had to undergo an endoscopy for a swallowing problem, the medical staff was surprised that he had only been given anesthesia once in his entire life, Lista said. She noticed that the anesthetist's hands were shaking when administering the medication to a 110-year-old man.
It is not common for men to live to be 100 years old: only 15% of centenarians are men, indicated a New England Centenarian Study, based at Boston University. The reasons are not clear.
The club of supercentenarians – people who live to be 110 or older – is even more exclusive. Men only represent 10% of this age group, the study noted.
The oldest man in the world is currently 111 years old. and lives in England, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which maintains a list of validated supercentenarians. Dransfield is currently the eighth oldest man on the list.
Born on March 28, 1914, Dransfield not only enjoys incredible longevity, but healthy longevity, with a fit mind and body. He assured that he has never suffered serious illnesses, such as cancer or heart disease. Dransfield has always been in good health and has no headaches or back pain, Lista added.
“I've been very, very, very lucky throughout my life,” Dransfield told .com in 2023.
He has one son, three grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. His wife of 54 years died in 1992.
Many family members, friends and firefighters gathered recently at the firehouse where he once served as chief to celebrate his 110th birthday.
“The craziest thing is how excited people are talking about him and celebrating,” Lista said. “It's heartwarming to see how many people think they are as special as we do.”
Here's what you need to know about the supercentenarian and his tips for living a long life:
Spend time doing what you like
Dransfield spent more than 80 years as a member of the local volunteer fire department and was crew chief for a time.
When asked what makes him happy and helps him move forward in life, he quickly answers: “The fire department. (…) I met so many friends.”
Lista said his grandfather continued to visit the fire station as he got older and was part of the “3 to 5 club.”
“When my grandmother passed away, that's what kept him going. Every day she went to the firehouse from 3 to 5 and all the old people sat there and hung out. “She was like family to her,” she noted.
Regarding Dransfield's professional life, worked for 60 years – most of them as an auto parts manager – before retiring in the late 1980s. “I wanted to continue working, but I couldn't and my wife told me it was time for me to quit,” he recalled. .
Milk is good for the body
Dransfield left school after 8th grade and at age 15 went to work on a dairy farm to help support his family. He delivered milk for five years and drank as much as he wanted, which he thinks gave him a healthy boost, especially during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
“I drank milk and ate well because I worked on a farm. I often go back and think that gave me a good start in life and for my bones,” she commented.
Milk continues to play an important role in his life: The supercentenarian attributes his longevity to the daily consumption of Ovaltine, a nutritional and flavoring supplement for milk, after breakfast. He's been so vocal about it that when he turned 100, everyone drank Ovaltine at his birthday party, Lista said.
Stay active
Dransfield never lifted weights or worked out in a gym, but he remained active throughout his life.
“I was 21 years old when I joined the fire department and that was the exercise I did every day: responding to fire alarms in Little Falls,” he said.
“I was active and ran when the alarm went off for 40 years. Then, for the next 40 years, (I continued to do it) whenever I felt like it.”
Exercise with structure is fun for him. “He laughs at people who go jogging. She wonders, 'Where are they running to?'” her granddaughter said.
Enjoy what you eat
The supercentenarian likes Italian food, hamburgers, salad, milk chocolate and other sweets. He drinks one cup of coffee a day and occasionally drinks beer, but he doesn't enjoy other forms of alcohol.
I wasn't exactly following a Blue Zones diet (based primarily on plants, nuts, fish, water, limiting dairy and avoiding added sugar and eggs).
“What's crazy is that he wasn't careful with his diet,” Lista said.
“He has eaten whatever he wanted. She has never watched her weight. She has never had to lose weight. She has always been in shape.”
At 110, Dransfield still cooks for himself, although that usually means heating up soup on the stove or microwaving prepared meals, Lista said. He likes to buy food at a restaurant that is near his house.
It's never too late to correct a bad habit
Dransfield started smoking when he was 50, after a fellow firefighter offered him a cigarette and he liked it. But about 20 years later, he quit.
“One day he told me he was going to quit smoking,” Lista recalled. She “threw the cigarettes and it was over. She did not smoke again.”
Stay optimistic
Dransfield considers himself optimistic. He also has a great sense of humor and likes to know the name of everyone in town, his granddaughter said.
“Knowing people and loving them makes me live longer,” Dransfield said.
“She always had a positive and optimistic attitude, even when my grandmother passed away. He lived for her, but he was determined to continue living,” Lista added.
“I remain optimistic. “I never think any other way when something goes wrong,” Dransfield said.
“I'm fine and I hope that the good Lord keep me like this”.
