One of America’s Oldest Women Shares Her Secrets to a Long Life

A 105-year-old Ohio woman known for her fun-loving, fiery personality has shared the habits she believes helped her live a long life.

Helen Sophis celebrated her 105th birthday on October 10 at Sunrise Senior Living in Cuyahoga Falls, near Cleveland.

Surrounded by friends, Sophis entertained them with jokes, stories from her remarkable life and advice on reaching old age with energy and joy.

Sophis, whose parents were Greek immigrants, told the Akron Beacon Journal that a Mediterranean diet and an active lifestyle were key to her longevity.

“Clean living,” she said, while also crediting her strong sense of humor for helping her through the years.

Her approach to healthy eating began in childhood, when her mother prepared traditional Greek dishes such as moussaka and pastitsio at home.

“Everything was from scratch,” she told the outlet.

Her family also owned a Coney Island restaurant that served hot dogs. Sophis recalled growing tired of serving drunk customers late at night and eagerly waiting for the moment she could send them out, lock the doors and turn the key.

“I sure did,” she said.

Physical activity remained a constant throughout Sophis’ life. In high school, she played basketball and volleyball at West High School, which no longer exists.

She also became the school newspaper’s sports editor—an unusual role for a girl to hold at the time.

Sophis continued playing sports at the University of Akron, taking part in basketball, volleyball and tennis, she told the outlet.

She did not complete her studies, however. Sophis left college after her sister, Amelia, died at age 17, she told the outlet.

She remained active in her working life as well. During World War II, Sophis was employed at a rubber plant, where she helped keep track of inventories.

“I had a man’s job during the war,” she said. “All my work was out in the factory.”

After the war, Sophis moved into an office role at the factory, operating a comptometer—a key-driven mechanical calculator.

She was also a star golfer on the company’s team, where she won several tournaments, she told The Journal. 

However, the one time she hit a hole-in-one, instead of going back to buy a round of drinks, she kept playing the holes. 

‘I said to myself: “How am I going to do that? I can’t afford to buy everybody a drink.” I kept playing and playing, and finally we went in, and everybody had gone home,’ she laughed. 

After retiring from the factory, she got a job at the mall to help supplement her income.  

Sophis’ nursing home friends described the centenarian as a ‘fiesta’ and ‘determined spitfire,’ as well as a ‘wealth of knowledge.’ 

‘But most importantly, she’s a very giving person,’ friend Paul Cincotta told The Journal. 

‘She’s amazing,’ another friend, Jamie Wood, told the outlet. ‘Just a beautiful person … 105? That’s a blessing. And she is a blessing.’ 

Sophis, who was born in 1921, never married, although she did have one boyfriend she dated for many years, so she told the outlet. 

She is the sole survivor of her family, as her brother, John, passed away in 2017 at the age of 94, and her nephew, Stephen, died in 2024 at the age of 60. 

However, the 105-year-old doesn’t consider herself lonely. 

‘I’ve got a lot of good friends, and they include me in a lot of things,’ she told The Journal. 

She plays bingo and makes crafts at the nursing home with her friends, she said. 

As for her old age, she said she feels better than when she was a teenager. 

‘I feel really good. I feel better now than I did when I was 16,’ she said. 

Sophis is one of the oldest women in America, just a smidge behind Naomi Whitehead, who is 116 years old. 

The Pennsylvania woman is believed to be the oldest person living in North America. 

Whitehead has never drunk or smoked, and credits her longevity to good genes and enjoying her hobbies, like baking and cooking.