She is a person beyond her time.
New York’s oldest person turned 112 this week, and she says the secret to her longevity is never marrying or having children.
Louise Jean Signore, a vivacious 4-foot-5-inch-tall woman from Co-op City in the Bronx, said she has lived a long and happy life, doesn’t smoke or drink, has no spouse or children.
“That’s why I’m alive. I’m OK with not getting married… I’m not married, I’m not having kids. I’m better off being single,” she told The Washington Post on Friday, two days after her historic birthday.
“Marriage brings about many problems.”
The spry centenarian attributes his longevity to a “good lifestyle”, saying he “don’t smoke or drink alcohol”.
Signore, who worked for the MTA for 39 years, including a stint as an administrative assistant, said she celebrated her birthday Wednesday with homemade pasta made by her nephew, cake and visits from friends.
She also won a lottery ticket that will be available to anyone lucky enough to live to be 112 years old.
Signore’s neighbor, Frances Perkins, bought her a $5 scratch card and her friend was thrilled when she won $50.
“She was very happy,” Perkins said.
Mr. Signore was born in 1912, when the New York Post cost three cents a copy, and has lived through everything from the Great Depression to the sinking of the Titanic.
In its heyday, she says, the world wasn’t such a dangerous place.
“Things were OK. It was during World War II. My brothers were in the war. They all came home,” she said.
“It was safe then. It’s not safe now… it’s not safe now,” she said.
The strong-willed elder also advised the younger generation to listen to older, wiser people like their parents.
“What kids need to do is listen to their parents,” she urged.
Signore was born in Harlem in 1912, the eldest of five children and the daughter of Italian immigrants, and moved with her family to the Bronx when she was 12 years old.
She attended Richmond High School and was passionate about ballroom dancing and swimming.
All of her siblings have since died.
“I’m the oldest and the only one left,” she said.
Signore is believed to be New York City’s oldest resident and the eighth oldest person in America. Long Evi Questis an organization that tracks and verifies the world’s oldest people.
By contrast, the oldest person on Earth is María Branyas-Morera of Spain, who is five years older than her at 117 years old.
Signore said staying active for many years, maintaining a strict lifestyle and listening to her body all contributed to her longevity.
“You know, I’m a structured person. I do the same thing at the same time every day. There’s no change. If I take a nap at 8 o’clock, there’s no change. I just take a nap,” she said.
“It’s my body. No one tells me what to do. I do what I think is best and it works.”
In June 2022, she fell and broke her hip, subsequently undergoing the first surgery of her life, but has since recovered with the help of gentle exercise.
“When she can’t go outside, she uses her walker to get up and down the hallways for exercise,” Perkins said. “It’s been a pleasure knowing her.”
Signore said she eats a healthy diet that includes lots of Italian food and often has a light breakfast.
“I don’t eat much, just eggs, bread with jam and tea. I don’t drink coffee,” she said.
Signore now lives a simple life, enjoying TV sitcoms like “The Jeffersons,” going outside and watching the neighborhood kids play ball.
“I enjoy it when my caregivers take me out on nice days. … I’m too old to do anything special,” she said. “I just want to survive.”
She is also in control of her own life.
“The interview is over,” she told The Post after the chat, asking the aide to return upstairs.
