Canton resident celebrates 114th birthday in red, white & blue style

Only two current residents of the United States have lived longer than Canton’s Bonita Gibson, who turned 114 on July 4th with a starring role in Plymouth’s Annual Fourth of July Parade.

“Bonita literally smiled almost the entire day,” said Sara Bailey, a spokesperson for Canton’s Waltonwood Carriage Park, where Gibson has resided the past several years. “She loved the parade, especially when everyone was singing to her. The whole day was so special!”

The only U.S. citizens more-seasoned than Gibson are Pennsylvania resident Naomi Whitehead, who was born 281 days before Gibson, and Tennessee resident Mary Harris, who has walked on this earth 52 days longer than Canton’s beloved Centenarian.

“We’re so blessed to be able to celebrate another birthday with her,” Bailey added.

‘Just happy to be as healthy as I am’

Gibson takes her special endurance distinction in stride.

“I don’t even think about it,” she said with a sincere tone, during an interview with SocialHouseNews.com in 2024.

“It really doesn’t mean anything to me. I’m just happy to be as healthy as I am. Whenever the nurse comes in to check me, she tells me she can’t believe how good my (vitals) are.”

Modest upbringing

Never a smoker or a drinker, Gibson said her simplistic diet during her younger years probably played a role in her longevity.

“We didn’t have a lot of money,” she said. “What money we did have, my aunt and uncle bought coffee and sugar. Everything we ate, we grew ourselves.

“Once a month, my uncle would go to town and buy oranges and bananas. My aunt would mix them together and that would be our dessert for three or four days.”

To put Gibson’s amazing longevity in perspective, the average life expectancy in the United States in 2020 was 79.1 years — a milestone she passed in 1991.

Happy Birthday, Bonita! And here’s to many more!

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.