GREAT FALLS – A 112-year-old Montana resident has become the second oldest living man in the world with the death of a Japanese man who had been the oldest.
Tomoji Tanabe died in his sleep in southern Japan on Friday at the age of 113. His death makes 113-year-old British World War I veteran Henry Allingham the oldest living man and Walter Breuning of Great Falls, Mont., the second oldest.
“I don’t think nothing about it,” Breuning said when asked what he thought about moving up on the list. “It doesn’t mean a thing. Here today, gone tomorrow — that’s the way it works.”
Breuning was born Sept. 21, 1896 — about 3 1/2 months after Allingham. He learned to read by a kerosene lantern and often saw artist Charlie Russell in the Mint Bar in Great Falls.
And while Breuning doesn’t seem too impressed by his own age, it has brought him increased attention in recent years. The former railroad employee often appears in local media, and was recently featured on the nationally televised Assignment America on CBS News.
His secret to longevity? Keep your body and mind active, don’t eat too much, and be good to people.