One of America’s Oldest Women Shares Her Secrets to Longevity

A 105-year-old Ohio woman known as a “fun-loving spitfire” has shared the lifestyle habits she believes helped her reach the milestone.

Helen Sophis celebrated her 105th birthday on October 10 at Sunrise Senior Living in Cuyahoga Falls, near Cleveland.

Surrounded by friends, Sophis entertained them with jokes, stories from her remarkable life and the advice she has gathered over more than a century.

The daughter of Greek immigrants told the Akron Beacon Journal that she credits her longevity to following a Mediterranean diet and remaining physically active.

“Clean living,” she said, adding that her strong sense of humor may have played a role as well.

Her approach to food was shaped by the Greek meals her mother prepared while she was growing up, including dishes such as moussaka and pastitsio.

“Everything was from scratch,” Sophis told the outlet.

Her parents also ran a Coney Island restaurant that served hot dogs. Sophis recalled becoming weary of serving meals to drunk customers at night and eagerly waiting for closing time so she could send them out and lock the door.

“I sure did,” she said.

Physical activity remained a constant throughout Sophis’ life. In high school, she played basketball and volleyball at West High School, which no longer exists.

She also served as the school newspaper’s sports editor, a position rarely held by a girl at the time.

Sophis continued playing sports at the University of Akron, taking part in basketball, volleyball and tennis, according to the outlet.

She ultimately left the university without graduating after her sister, Amelia, died at 17, Sophis told the outlet.

Her working life was active, too. During World War II, she was employed at a rubber plant, where she helped keep production records and inventories.

“I had a man’s job during the war,” she said. “All my work was out in the factory.”

After the war, Sophis moved into an office role at the factory, operating a comptometer—a key-driven mechanical calculator.

She was also a star golfer on the company’s team, where she won several tournaments, she told The Journal. 

However, the one time she hit a hole-in-one, instead of going back to buy a round of drinks, she kept playing the holes. 

‘I said to myself: “How am I going to do that? I can’t afford to buy everybody a drink.” I kept playing and playing, and finally we went in, and everybody had gone home,’ she laughed. 

After retiring from the factory, she got a job at the mall to help supplement her income.  

Sophis’ nursing home friends described the centenarian as a ‘fiesta’ and ‘determined spitfire,’ as well as a ‘wealth of knowledge.’ 

‘But most importantly, she’s a very giving person,’ friend Paul Cincotta told The Journal. 

‘She’s amazing,’ another friend, Jamie Wood, told the outlet. ‘Just a beautiful person … 105? That’s a blessing. And she is a blessing.’ 

Sophis, who was born in 1921, never married, although she did have one boyfriend she dated for many years, so she told the outlet. 

She is the sole survivor of her family, as her brother, John, passed away in 2017 at the age of 94, and her nephew, Stephen, died in 2024 at the age of 60. 

However, the 105-year-old doesn’t consider herself lonely. 

‘I’ve got a lot of good friends, and they include me in a lot of things,’ she told The Journal. 

She plays bingo and makes crafts at the nursing home with her friends, she said. 

As for her old age, she said she feels better than when she was a teenager. 

‘I feel really good. I feel better now than I did when I was 16,’ she said. 

Sophis is one of the oldest women in America, just a smidge behind Naomi Whitehead, who is 116 years old. 

The Pennsylvania woman is believed to be the oldest person living in North America. 

Whitehead has never drunk or smoked, and credits her longevity to good genes and enjoying her hobbies, like baking and cooking.