Published: January 19, 2009 12:59 pm      

Man celebrates 100 years of life

PLAINFIELD — A group of about 50 people gathered to celebrate one man’s hundred-year accomplishment last week at Roland’s Golden Memories Retirement Clubs here.

Frank Crismore was born Jan. 13, 1909, and celebrated his 100th birthday surrounded by his family, friends, and neighbors. Crismore, who has been at the retirement center for almost a year, lived on his own in his Marion County home until moving to the center.

“Oh, I’m here and I’m going to stay here until the end of my life,” Crismore said. “I drove until I was 99 — ‘til my old right foot got to a place where it stopped going where I wanted it to go.”

Crismore thanked everyone at the party for coming and entertained them with stories of his life.

“I drove a car until I was 16 years old ‘til I was 99, never had a wreck, never paid a fine,” he said. “The police man come, he put his evidence up against me, and I told the judge $70 is a lot of money for driving safely on the road when you pick bushels of apples for extra money. That judge looked at me and said ‘I agree, not guilty.’”

His son, Francis, of Mooresville, said he and his father still go fishing together during the summer.

“He’s pretty special,” Francis said. “We still fish together, we’ve already got plans for the first outing next spring. We go fishing once or twice a month. He’s a great fisherman.”

Francis, who is the oldest of Crismore’s two sons, said his father tended a large garden until he came to the retirement center and particularly enjoyed growing flowers and baking pies.

Crismore was born on a farm near Stinesville and married Mary J. Thomas on Thanksgiving Day in 1931. The couple raised two sons, Francis and John who now lives in Montana. He has six grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Crismore worked at the Allison Division of General Motors until his retirement in 1974 and he lived with his wife in Marion County until her death in 1991, just a few days after their 60th wedding anniversary.

Francis said Crismore’s mother lived to be 83 and that one distant relative lived to be 100 years old, but that longevity doesn’t necessarily run in their family.

“He’s been an inspiration (to me),” Francis said. “My brother and I say we don’t doubt he’ll be here another 10 years and outlive us all.”

charlee.beasor@flyergroup.com