SPUDTACULAR! Canton’s 114-year-old Gibson honored with special visit
Bonita Gibson admires her Spuddy Buddy stuffed animal presented to her Monday during a visit from the massive Idaho Potato Truck.
Born and raised on an Idaho potato farm, 114-year-old Canton resident Bonita Gibson credits her longevity partly to her consumption of — you guessed it! — potatoes.
So what better way to celebrate arguably Canton’s most-famous resident (and the third-oldest person in the United States) with a visit from the world-famous Idaho Potato truck, a six-ton, 72-foot-long vehicle that travels to special events across the U.S.
The proprietors of the Idaho Potato truck recently read in People magazine about Gibson’s participation in the Plymouth Fourth of July Parade.
A short time later, they contacted administrators at Waltonwood Carriage Park senior living center, Bonita’s home for the past 10 years, to coordinate a visit from the one-of-a-kind vehicle.
Exciting moment
“We told her about a week ago it was coming,” revealed Sara Bailey, Waltonwood’s Senior Regional Director of Sales. “We let her sleep in today to build up her energy and she was really excited when she first saw the truck.
“They gave Bonita a Spuddy Buddy stuffed animal, which she absolutely loves. She’s holding it very tightly.
“She attributes her longevity in part to eating potatoes all her life, so this was the perfect event for her.”
In an interview with SocialHouseNews.com three years ago, Bonita shrugged over her fame and age.
Age is ‘no big deal’ to Bonita
“I don’t even think about it,” she said with a sincere tone. “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.”
Gibson is believed to be the oldest person to ever survive a bout with COVID-19, which she was diagnosed with in 2021 at the age of 109.
She also lived through the Spanish Flu, which killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide beginning in 1918 — and she outlasted a case of whooping cough as a child.
“Whether she admits it or not, Bonita is a celebrity around here,” said Angie Hanson, Waltonwood Carriage Park’s Executive Director in 2022. “Whenever we bring in new staff or prospective residents, we always tell them about Bonita, the oldest person in Michigan.
‘Bonita’s always so upbeat’
“Every time I talk to Bonita, she’s always so upbeat. She’s easy-going, fun-loving and I learn things from her all the time. I think those are traits that have helped her live such a long, full life.”
When Hanson asked the supercentenarian the secret to her long life, Gibson gave her a straight-forward answer.
“She told me she has a spoonful of molasses every day,” Hanson said, grinning.
Clean living
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.”
Foremost of which were potatoes — thus the special visit Monday from the larger-than-life, eye-catching potato truck.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
