Loss of a great Mason

World's oldest man dead at 11

GREAT FALLS, Mont., April 15 (UPI) -- Walter Breuning, the oldest man in the world, died Thursday at 114, in Great Falls, Mont., the retirement community where he had lived since 1980 said.
Breuning was the second-oldest person, the Gerontology Research Center of Los Angeles said. Besse Cooper of Georgia is 26 days older.
Stacia Kirby, a spokeswoman for Rainbow Senior Living, told the Great Falls Tribune Breuning died of natural causes. He had no near relatives since he never remarried after his wife's death in 1957 and they had no children.
Breuning, who started working for the Great Northern Railroad at 16 and retired at 99 as a secretary and manager for the Shriners, attributed his longevity to staying active.
After a childhood in a South Dakota farmhouse with no running water or electricity, Breuning lied about his age to get his first job and remained with the Great Northern for 50 years, meeting his wife there.
Tina Bundtrock, the Rainbow's director, said Breuning in his later years took no medications except aspirin and saw doctors only twice a year for checkups.
Breuning did not want a funeral, Rainbow officials said. He asked that anyone who wanted to honor him make contributions to the Shriners Children's Travel Fund and the Scottish Rite Language Disorder Center.

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