Philo Baker's looks belie his years, as does his deceptively strong grip when you take his hand. He still has a handsome face, a full head of snow-white hair, and continues to dress nattily in a suit each Sabbath to attend church. His mind is still sharp. And if you have the time, he has stories to tell—stories that combine the history of his life with the mystery of the miracle of its span. Born in 1902 on a farm near Arpin, Wisconsin, Philo celebrated his 103rd birthday last November 3. Reviewing his life is like turning pages in a history book.
The first time Philo voted it was for Calvin Coolidge, but he remembers Teddy Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, and Warren Harding, too. He has seen 18 presidents come and go. Philo can tell you what it was like to hear that the Titanic sank. He remembers when the world's first skyscraper was built and stood all of 16 stories high. He witnessed the last five states admitted to the Union; the invention of hot dogs, hamburgers, Popsicles, Pepsi, Life Savers candy, Crayons, vacuum cleaners, the Model A and Model T; the discovery of radium and helium; toys added to every package of Cracker Jacks; and a 26-year-old named Albert Einstein who published a paper on the Theory of Relativity.
Philo is one of the few people alive who saw Halley's comet twice since it only comes around once every 76 years. "It was quite something. People talked about it for a long time before we actually saw it," he said, referring to the first time he witnessed the phenomenon.
Growing up at the beginning of the 20th century was not easy. "Even with a large family, there was much work to be done on a farm." School was a luxury. Philo attended, but not as much as he would have liked; he had a real desire to learn. Like most farm boys at that time he left home at 21.
Philo married in the early '20s and was only a couple days shy of 27 when the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began. "That was a bad time," he recalls. "It affected almost everyone in some way." The main focus was just striving to survive. Farming helped keep food on the table for his family.
Philo, one year too young to serve in WWI, found that with his family and at his age, he was exempt from WWII. When the war ended, the world discovered the horrors of the Holocaust and the civil rights movement had its beginnings. It was a decade of growth and learning for our country.
So it was for Philo decade after decade. He married and raised his family, watched new marvels, and saw how far we came as a nation and how far he came as a person. The young boy who was awed by the first Model A and how the Wright Brothers attempted flight now marvels at the vehicles on the highways and the wonders in the skyways. Little did he know he would see men on the moon.
Philo was almost 12 when Ellen White died. He recalls how church leaders spoke of her latest endeavors each Sabbath and how saddened the Bethel (Wisconsin) congregation was when she died.
Philo considers himself lucky to have been born into a Seventh-day Adventist family and firmly states, "I think it has a great deal to do with how long I have lived."
He attended church his entire life—mostly at the Bethel and Moon churches. Philo now worships at the church in Wisconsin Rapids where he lives. "I still miss Moon, you know," he says with a wistful look on his face.
Once he "retired" from the farm routine, he became more active in the Moon Church, serving as an elder from his early 70s until in his 90s. At other times he served as deacon. He also worked there as a janitor, Sabbath school superintendent, and says he even taught a bit. He was saddened when the little church finally had to close.
While speaking of his Seventh-day Adventist lifestyle, the usually focused Philo stops mid-sentence and switches thoughts. "You know," he says, "back when I was young," and he stops again, looks me straight in the eye, and says, "I probably should not tell you this so you don't wonder or take it wrong." I urged him on; he smiled and said with much conviction, "Well, there was a time when I was young that [the church] said that the second coming was so near that we would not be here in another five years." He smiled again and said, "But here we are!" Then with another more serious look, he says, "Of course we know now with what is happening that we are in the last days."
Attributing most of his longevity to "staying active and always working," Philo tells how he worked as a carpenter much of his life. He continued building right into his 90s and was remodeling still at age 100. Philo is quick to add at this point that he never worked on the Sabbath, though. "Oh, sometimes you had to. I can recall a brush fire once and a barn fire. When it was to help someone else out like that, you did it, but otherwise I kept the Sabbath."
Then he stated, "I never retired! I even went around to nursing homes in my later years and sang for the folks there. It was strange because here I was, older than most of them there, and I just could not believe the problems those poor people had. I was very thankful to have my health."
Living alone and taking care of his own needs until he was past 100, he finally moved in with his granddaughter after he fell one day and was unable to get up by himself. He stayed with her for a few months before moving to Riverview Manor in Wisconsin Rapids.
It is an accomplishment just to reach the age of 103, but to also still have mental acuity is something nearly unheard of. Philo attributes this mostly to his healthy Seventh-day Adventist lifestyle. "People keep telling me I am pretty sharp for my age." Indeed he is.
"I have pretty much always been a vegetarian," he states. He feels that other healthy habits have impacted his longevity as well. Sheepishly, he admitted to "trying cigarettes once" when he was around others and wanted to see what it was like. He quickly added, "If I had smoked and drank alcohol like the others were, I would not have lived this long or been as healthy as I am. I know it is how I have lived that has made the difference."
Philo’s grandfather lived to be 101 and his great-grandfather even older. The next eldest sibling in his family was a sister who lived to be 98. Philo is the last of the ten children.
Although Philo had two bouts with pneumonia this past winter, he knows he is fortunate to not have many of the health issues of those around him. It is only in the past few months that Philo has used a wheelchair. While he gets around well by himself, you can tell he would prefer to be up and walking around. He can walk with a walker, but the wheelchair is easier.
Asked about exercise, Philo said, "I was never one to exercise a lot because I got enough exercise just working the farm and doing other things. Now I attend all the classes [at the Manor]. We do stretching exercises and lifting, too. It is all to strengthen our muscles."
When you visit the Manor and ask where Philo is, they point you in the direction of whichever activity is currently being held. He participates in bowling and says he really enjoys the parlor games. He grins as he tells how he wins quite often. "I don't have to pay to play the games, but when you win, they give you a nickel or a dime. I take every one of those nickels and dimes and put them in a piggy bank, and then someone from the church comes and gets the money and sends it to a place where it will be used for mission work. It is not a lot, but it is still something I can do. Last time I counted, it was more than $16," he said.
Philo studies his Sabbath school quarterly and reads his Bible, but his failing eyesight makes it more difficult. Most of the time he leaves that up to church friends who come to the Manor for just that purpose.
While we visited he said to me, "You know, I have asked many people why it is that I should still be alive at this age. I just don't understand it." I told him, "Philo, you want the simple answer? God is not finished using you yet. You are touching lives daily with your Christian lifestyle and principles. You are a testimony to a healthy lifestyle. You are living your faith. You are still witnessing for God. God still has a purpose for you." That seemed to be the answer he needed.
At his birthday party last November, we filled a room with friends and family of all ages. At the church, the ladies cannot help but take turns holding his hand or greeting him with a kiss on his cheek and wishing him well. And at the Manor, every employee who passes by makes a point to smile and speak to him. Through it all, there is a twinkle in his eye.
Before I left he said, "They all tell me that since I arrived here, it has been a much better place." The same can be said for his lifespan on this earth. If you spend time with him, you will soon understand why.
Rhonda Whetstone Neibauer is the Wisconsin Rapids Church media liaison and a freelance writer.
