On January 26, one of the oldest men in Canada, Esmond Allcock shared the secret to a Long Life with his family, friends, relatives, and guests during his 108th birthday. CBS reported that everyone was eager to hear him say that healthy foods, exercise, moderate drinking, and other health tips were the secrets to his longevity. Surprisingly, his revelation made everyone speechless.

His birthday celebration was recognized by the Mayor of Kerrobert, Wayne Mock, who declared January 26 “Esmond Allcock's Day.”

His life, family, and experiences

Esmond Allcock was happily married to his lovely wife Helen who was seven years younger than him.

Unfortunately, his wife died seven years ago after battling with dementia. The illness had resulted in a decline in her mental ability, thereby causing an interference in her daily life. According to Esmond, he took care of her for two years before moving her to a senior citizen’s home. After his wife passed away, he bought himself a car which he used to drive around his neighborhood.

Before retiring in 1975, he was actually a well-known hardworking farmer with an inborn sense of morality. According to his grandson, Lehne, who did most of the talking, his grandpa loved his grandma so much that he put the inscription, “She was a 10” on her tombstone. Also, he shared a story about how a farm truck was given to his father by the dealer without collecting a penny from him.

After he harvested and sold his farm produce, he went back to the dealer and made payment for the truck. His moral values were that strong!

Allcock has six children, 38 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren. He loves reading and watching the news. In fact, he has a Facebook page he updates frequently. Presently, he uses a wheelchair because he finds it difficult to walk.

He lives in an assisted living facility known as Kerrobert Health Centre. Besides losing his wife, he also lost a 25-year-old son to cancer and a 53-year-old son in a plane crash.

The secret behind his longevity

Esmond Allcock revealed that the secret to living 108 years is to make the right choice of wife. Actually, there are lots of incredible benefits of marriage for physical and psychological health.

Happily married people tend to live a longer, happier and more fulfilling life. In most cases, there are fewer cases of depression, anxiety, cancer, stroke, cardiac arrest, and hypertension amongst happily married couples, than among their unmarried counterparts.

It might sound a bit crazy, but his theory was backed up by Dr. Scott Haltzman, an American Psychiatrist, who counsels people on relationship issues. Of course, Allcock’s friends, family, and the entire staff of Kerrobert Health Centre can’t wait for January 26 next year, to honor Esmond Allcock’s Day.