Former San Juan Resident Reaches Super Milestone

From a press release:

Former San Juan Capistrano resident Sally Mitchell will be turning 110 years old later this month.

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The soon-to-be supercentenarian – an individual who has reached their 110th birthday – currently resides at Irvine Cottages, an assisted-living facility that specializes in providing memory care. Gerontologists estimate that there are currently only 75 people alive today who have passed the age 110.

For perspective, Mitchell has lived through 19 presidencies – from President Theodore Roosevelt to the current Obama administration. She has seen the United States fight through both World Wars, survive the Great Depression and enter into the modern technological age.

Selma “Sally” Hurthle was born on Nov. 25, 1904 – the same year as the third Olympic Games in St. Louis. She grew up on a farm in Pentwater, Mich. with her four siblings. After high school, Mitchell attended the Ferris Institute – today known as Ferris State University – at a time when less than 8 percent of women sought higher education in the United States.

After earning her business degree, Mitchell moved to California in 1922 to care for her brother who suffered an injury in World War I. She came to the Golden State by way of the El Capitan passenger train, and she cites waking up to the smell of orange trees as one of her favorite memories.

Mitchell secured a job with AT&T as a secretarial assistant. This job would prove to be more than just a paycheck, as it brought Howard Mitchell into her life, who would become her husband of 67 years. Howard and Mitchell had one child, Suzanne, and the family settled in San Marino.

The length of Mitchell’s life is astonishing, considering that gerontology researchers have currently verified only seventy-five individuals who have reached the age of 110 in the world (Gerontology Research Group). Even more astounding is the fact that Mitchell shows no sign of dementia or other memory-related illnesses.

Dr. Jacqueline Dupont, gerontologist and founder of Irvine Cottages, describes Mitchell’s mental health as extraordinary for her age. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, age is the most significant risk factor for dementia. Individuals 85 years or older have a 50 percent chance of developing the mental disease – and the risk factor increases every year.

Mitchell’s sole child, Suzanne, attributes her mother’s longevity to embracing a stress-free lifestyle. Suzanne describes her mother as “more of a reactor than an actor,” meaning that Sally has chosen to never stress about things outside of her control.

Mitchell’s aversion to stress has preserved her physical and mental wellbeing for more than a century. Mitchell’s sister, Maxine, is a resident of San Juan Capistrano and turned 97 earlier this year. Mitchell lived with Maxine for a few years before becoming a resident at Irvine Cottages.

Mitchell turns 110 on Tuesday, Nov. 25.