Fred H. Hale, Sr.

Infobox_Person
name = Fred H. Hale, Sr.
other_names =


caption = Fred Hale aged 111 with his nurse
birth_date = birth date|1890|12|1
birth_place = New Sharon, Maine, United States
death_date = death date|2004|11|19 aged 113 years 354 days
death_place = Jamesville, New York, United States
death_cause = Pneumonia
title =
occupation =
spouse =
children =
relations =

Fred Harold Hale, Sr. (December 1, 1890 — November 19, 2004) was an American supercentenarian who became the oldest recognized verified living man in the United States following the death of countryman John Ingram McMorran in February 2003 and the oldest living recognized man in the world following the death of Spaniard Joan Riudavets in March 2004.

There were only forty-three stars on the American flag when he was born in Maine.

A retired railroad postal worker and beekeeper, Fred married Flora Mooers in 1910, the year their first child was born. Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest licensed driver at age 108 (his pet peeve was slow drivers) he was still living by himself at age 103. At age 109, he moved to Liverpool, New York to be near his youngest son. Fred moved again to nearby Baldwinsville. At age 113, he played cards, and, after cataract operations at ages 109 and 110, still had unusually good vision for a supercentenarian.

In 2004, Fred and his son moved to another Onondaga County community, Jamesville, within the town boundaries of De Witt, New York. Around then, he received media attention for being the world's oldest Boston Red Sox fan, with the team destined to win its first World Series in 86 years. Fred was 27 the last time the Sox won a World Series, in 1918.

He traveled more extensively after his 95th year than many people do in a lifetime. Fred visited his grandson in Japan, stopping by Hawaii on the return trip, where he tried surfing. After turning 100, he visited Europe with his oldest son (Norman Dyer Hale) and daughter-in-law to visit the locales of his son's military service during the Second World War.

Fred had a large family, spread out over the entire country. He outlived his wife and three of his five children. Of five children, two were still living at the time of his death (Norman Dyer Hale and Fred Hale, Jr.), but Norman died on December 30, 2004 (aged 84), which is only a month after him. Three children had preceded Fred in death (Robert died in 1918 during the influenza epidemic, Muriel probably in 1971 and Carrie in 1992). At the time of his death he had nine grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and 11 great-great grandchildren.

Fred was the oldest retired railway postal worker ever, the oldest retired U.S. government employee ever and the oldest registered beekeeper ever, among other honors and records. He often related the true story of his last successful deer hunt at age 100 in Missouri.

Fred credited his longevity to bee pollen and honey he ate each day, along with the occasional nip of whiskey.

He died of pneumonia in his room a mere 12 days before his 114th birthday in New York.

He is the person closest to reaching his 114th birthday, without actually doing so.

ee also

* List of the verified oldest men
* List of the verified oldest people
* Longevity
* Oldest people
* Supercentenarian
* U.S. state longevity recordholders

References

* [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6535389/ His obituary]