Auburn man celebrates nearly a century of living

AUBURN – Friends and relatives of a 99-year-old Auburn resident celebrated the occasion Sunday at an appropriate local location – the Ninety-Nine Restaurant.

Milton Chapman hasn’t roamed far from his roots in the past century, but he and his brothers, who also lived well into their 90s, make a strong case for persistence.

Chapman, now a resident of the independent living facility at Clover Manor Healthcare, Inc., beamed as he accepted congratulations from about a dozen well-wishers at the event. He talked enthusiastically about his early days on farms, his perseverance in gaining an education, and his love for reading.

Special guests at the party were Bob and Margaret Chapman of Dunedin, Fla. Bob Chapman, who is the only child of Milton and Lillian Chapman, is an Edward Little High School alumnus of 1957 and is remembered locally for his basketball feats on the school’s championship teams.

“He gets along really well,” Chapman said of his father. “He uses a walker some, and his hearing isn’t too good, but his eyesight is fine. He’s an avid reader of newspapers, history and the Bible, and he remembers everything.”

Chapman said a doctor recently checked his father to find the cause of redness in his eyes.

“He told him he’ll have to cut down from eight hours of reading every day to about six hours,” Chapman said.

There was a birthday cake at the event, as well as a few gifts to highlight the sprightly gentleman’s accomplishments. Among the remembrances from relatives was a 1919 Maine Register from Elizabeth Johnson of Sabattus. She said she wanted to find something in which Chapman could look up names and places from his past.

Born in Chesterville, Chapman’s father died when he was 6 and he left home to work on farms at an early age. The need to help the family meant his schooling was catch-as-catch-can. He said he attended 15 schools in the course of getting through the eighth grade.

A career in plumbing began early. Chapman said he learned the trade “cold turkey,” which he said to him meant out of necessity to feed himself and family. He was employed by the Harry Nason plumbing firm in Auburn for many years before operating his own firm. He worked as a union plumber in later years before retiring at the age of 72.

He and his wife, Lillian, were married for 68 years before her death in the past decade.

Two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren who live outside Maine were unable to attend the 99th birthday party, but they plan to be at next year’s centennial celebration.

Chapman’s three sisters are deceased and two brothers died not long ago.

The brothers didn’t quite reach the 100-year mark, but Chapman says he’s determined to make that milestone and then some.

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