105-year-old woman shares secrets to longevity

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington woman celebrated a century plus five Friday and says she plans to celebrate many more birthdays. Any other flower would have wilted long ago, but at 105 years old Rose Sprechman is still in full bloom.

“I just go from day to day, and the next day is another day, and the next day is another day, and that’s the way they move,” Sprechman said.

Rose was born in 1905 when, according to Wikianswers.com, a gallon of milk cost 29 cents and people baked bread in their home. In her 105 years, though, Rose has never visited the website or any website for that matter.

“What’s the Internet?” Rose asked when asked if she knew.

Rose says she doesn’t have a special diet, but definitely has some favorite foods.

“Different kinds of herrings I like, with onions,” she said. “You’re making my mouth water.”

And when she blew out the candles on her cake, she wished for the same thing as always.

“Good health! That’s about it,” she said. “What else could I wish for? A few cents in the pocketbook doesn’t mean that much if you don’t feel good.”

Rose says she’ll keep celebrating her birthday’s as long as she’s around.

“Oh plenty more,” she said. “I am not going to cut them short.”

But she’s stopped keeping track of her age.

“I think I am going to stop counting. That’s far enough,” she said. After all, Rose says the first hundred years really are the hardest.

The Patterson, NJ, native has two children, likes to listen to jazz music and still plays bingo three times a week.