Ronald Schwartz was something of a local legend. At the age of 102, he was was still volunteering. He even threw out the first pitch at a Brewers game. Needless to say, he believed in staying active.
Schwartz died Tuesday at 108 years old. He's believed to have been the oldest man in Wisconsin.
When we interviewed Schwartz in 2013, he was a busy man, lighting up lives at St. Anne's Salvatorian Campus in Milwaukee.
He was like a minister to residents, meeting, greeting and listening. Schwartz believed volunteering was good for the soul, and his advice to other seniors?
"Find yourself some friends," he said. "Be nice to your neighbors so you've got friends on both sides of you. Be nice."
Schwartz ate sensibly and enjoyed a small glass of red wine daily.
"I start the day with a dish of oatmeal, a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee," he said.
He believed a positive attitude is crucial for seniors.
"Don't get that down expression that you don't care for anybody else," he said.
"Find yourself some friends. Be nice to your neighbors so you've got friends on both sides of you. Be nice." — Ronald Schwartz, who died Tuesday at age 108
And his secret to longevity?
"There really is no secret. You just keep on. When the lord wants you, he'll take you. That's pretty close down the line," said Schwartz.
But it wasn't that close. Ronald Schwartz lived another six years after that interview.
