Photo: Berkeley Side
Mila Mangold was 114 years old when she passed away on July 2, 2022. She held the title of being the oldest living person in the entire state, the second oldest citizen of the United States, and the seventh oldest person in the world. This long-time resident of Berkeley had lived to see many things change. According to The Mercury News, Mangold had seen horse and buggy’s replaced by cars and witnessed many other historical events that the rest of us only read about.
“She saw so much of the history of this country,” her son, Donald Mangold explained to The Mercury News. “She was very proud to be an American.”
Born in Nebraska on Nov. 14, 1907 before many Western states were even admitted into the union, Mila lived through two pandemics, two world wars, and technological revelations that people of her time had not even dreamed of. To put things into perspective, the first full length feature film did not exist until Mila was three years old.
The Mercury News mentioned that when she was 90 years old, she convinced her loved ones to let her walk the Great Wall of China, in which she completed successfully. Mila spent the final years of her life in an assisted living center in El Cerrito, but remained inquisitive until the very end. Donald believes that her constant curiosity contributed to her longevity.
Now the oldest living person in California is from Mendocino County and is just three months younger than Mila was.