Apple trees, Mack Edwards will tell you, can live for a very long time.
“They have to be taken care of a bit,” said the World War II Army veteran, retired orchard owner, and six-year resident of the Veterans Home of California-Ventura.
In fact, given the right conditions – climate, water and good soil among them – they can live more than a century. That same formula works for some people as well, as Edwards can attest.
He’ll celebrate his 103rd birthday on Wednesday (January 10), still going strong while also being “taken care of a bit” by the dedicated staff of the Ventura Veterans Home.
Edwards can’t claim seniority among the veterans currently residing in CalVet’s eight Veterans Homes. Fresno Home veteran Jane Boote turned 104 on Christmas Day.
No matter. He wakes up each morning counting his blessings and credits his longevity to a lifetime of breathing fresh air, from the time he was born and raised along the California coast to today.
“I’m still in pretty good shape,” he said.
Edwards’ excellent overall health enabled him to bounce back from a heart issue that hospitalized him in November. He is back to walking short distances without assistance, and is getting stronger by the day. He’s still licensed to drive and chauffeured friends from the Home to lunch recently, though he since has decided to give that up.
“This old guy, at 103, shouldn’t be driving,” Edwards said. “If I got into a fender bender or anything, I’d probably get the blame. My reflexes at my age are not as good. My eyes are pretty good, but they’re still 103.”
During World War II, he served in India building a base for B-29s of the 20th Bomber Command in 1944. Those bombers later were moved to Tinian Island and Saipan in advance of the war-ending assault on the Japanese mainland. His unit then was reassigned to the 10th Air Force in China in 1945.
“We were going to Chongqing,” Edwards said. “I was sitting on top of a box car when we heard the war ended. We never made it to China.”
He returned to the states and began working in a series of corporate jobs before venturing out to start businesses of his own. The last one: he established in the mountains east of Springville, in Tulare County, in 1991.
More of that fresh air he’s long valued.
“I was kind of living the American dream,” Edwards said. His apple orchard wasn’t large enough to merit a contract from one of the major fruit companies, so he took his crops to farmer’s markets. “Sold every bit of it.”
Edwards also created and patented a white peach he named “Edwards Ambrosia.”
After his wife, Joan, died in 1993, “I kept that little apple ranch,” he said. He ran it until he turned it over to his adult children and later moved into the Veterans Home, where he can visit the two apple trees he donated to the Home’s garden any time he wishes.
“The trees I planted are still going strong,” Edwards said. “They’ll have a very long life.” Trust him on that longevity stuff. At 103, he’s got some serious street and orchard cred.
NOTE: Learn more about Fresno veteran Jane Boote, 104, in a 2020 CalVet Connect feature at https://calvetconnect.blog/2020/03/16/cold-night-in-france-began-medical-military-march-across-europe-in-wwii-for-army-nurse-now-100/.
The Veterans Homes of California system of care offers affordable long-term care to older and disabled veterans as well as their eligible spouses and domestic partners. With eight facilities across the state, the services offered range from assisted living programs with minimal support to 24-hour skilled nursing care for veterans with significant clinical needs including memory care.
CalVet staff are uniquely capable of serving the needs of our veterans and provide an environment that honors their service to the country. The Veterans Homes are nationally recognized for the premier care and services they provide to California’s veterans. For more information on the Homes visit www.calvet.ca.gov/calvet-programs/veteran-homes.
Would you like the opportunity to serve veterans in your work? Join the CalVet team! We are dedicated to ensuring that veterans from every era, along with their families, receive the state and federal benefits and services they have earned and deserve due to their selfless and honorable military service. At CalVet, we prioritize serving veterans and their families with dignity, compassion, and a commitment to helping them achieve the highest quality of life. See our current career opportunities at www.calcareers.ca.gov/CalVet.
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