Most people would consider living to your mid-90’s an accomplishment by itself, but what if you heard that a man just turned 105 years old, and is still living in the house that he built 65 years ago?
Well that actually happened last month when FirstLight client Bill Mohr, a World War II veteran of Hatboro, Pennsylvania, celebrated his 105th birthday with his wife, Jo, and the rest of their family. That same day, he and Jo shared their 70th wedding anniversary and he also received an honorary high school diploma from St. Joseph Preparatory School. He received a full scholarship to the school as an 8th grader but dropped out after two years to work to support his widowed mother and their family.
Most senior citizens at this age would be in nursing homes or hospice care, but Bill and Jo split their time between Florida and their Hatboro house. This can be attributed to the round-the-clock in home care provided by FirstLight Home Care of Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
“We have been really fortunate that my parents have been able to age in place. Most people their age would be in nursing homes,” said their daughter Jodie Hartshorne, age 63. “They thrive if they can stay in their own home and be taken care of. This is a critical issue in America, how to take care of the aging population.”
As a part of the celebration of their seven decades of marriage, Jo and Bill renewed their vows to each other. After the ceremony Bill said that he has always wanted to visit Ireland, so his daughter is currently working on putting that together.
Thanks to the care provided by FirstLight, the couple who have combined to live over two centuries, are still living independently in their own home with plans to travel the country, and aspirations for the world. Watch a video of Bill and Jo’s celebration on Mashable.com!