Want to live a long life? Centrum Silver and Vit. D

Ruth Tanner, complete with birthday hat, celebrates her 104th year. (Lebanon Voice/Harrison Thorp photo)

WEST LEBANON - If you're over 50 and you don't have any Centrum Silver in the house, you might want to consider picking some up at your local pharmacy today.

Ruth Tanner's been taking them for years and she swears by them.

Oh, by the way, Tanner is having a birthday today. She's 104.

Tanner, who is the sister-in-law of the late Clarence Tanner who owned the "graffiti house" at the bottom of Prospect Hill that burned down two years ago, has lived on Champion Street with her niece, Ella Corr, for the past four years since Tanner's husband, Vincent, died.

Prior to that she lived in Milton.

Tanner is more nonplussed than anything else about her longevity.

Asked the secrets of living a long life recently, she said simply, "I don't know."

Her niece did say, however, her aunt never drank nor smoked. Corr also said her aunt takes absolutely no medicines, just a daily Centrum Silver and a Vitamin D supplement.

Tanner was born to Frank and Sophie Ramsey in Berwick, Maine, on June 10, 1911, when William Howard Taft was president and in a year that baseball legend Ty Cobb hit in 40 straight games and groundbreaking began in Boston for Fenway Park.

Ruth Tanner doesn't go out too often anymore, but when she does, she likes to go to the ocean and look out.

She also loves her ice cream and cake, listening to Irish music and watching TV.

While today is her birthday, the family will hold a huge celebration for her this Sunday at Corr's summer place on Landing Lane off Champion Street.

Anyone who would like to come and wish her a Happy Birthday is invited, Corr said.