Minister, 108, Preached for Over 40 Years
http://www.csa.us/email/spirit/ssarticles/0113SeniorSpotlight.html
After John Annas retired from a long career as a minister, he got “restless” and took on more assignments. He finally retired at age 80 but now, at 108, he gives presentations about Abraham Lincoln. Read his story.
Even after he formally retired, John Annas couldn’t stop serving the church until he was almost 80, at which point he started doing one-man shows about Abraham Lincoln. The reason for his longevity, he says, is good genes and simple food.
John Wesley Annas, Jr. was born in North Attleboro, Mass., in 1904 to John Wesley and Emma Louise. His father was a minister in a Methodist Episcopal church for over 40 years. Now, in Leesburg, Fla., at age 108, John can say that he has also served the church for over 40 years, just like his father. What has helped him accomplish so much? “Love God and trust fellow man, you don’t spend time worrying.”
Even though he formally retired at age 65 in Syracuse, N.Y., John was assigned to another parish for another five years. After that ended, he “got restless” and asked to be assigned to another church, and then another, and yet another, until he finally retired from giving regular sermons when he was almost 80 years old.
When Anita, John’s first wife, saw him wrestling their snowblower out of a ditch at age 91, she decided that they would move to someplace warmer. In 1995, they moved into an apartment in a retirement community in Florida, where Anita later passed away. John and Anita have three children, eight grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.
John finds great inspiration in Abraham Lincoln and created a presentation about him, using portions of John Drinkwater’s play, “Abraham Lincoln.” In his a 30-minute one-man show, “Lincoln,” John plays five different characters, including Lincoln and his wife. For this interview, he recited a piece of it over the phone, choosing a bit that portrays Lincoln’s strong moral character when faced with the realities of loss during war.
It was Abraham Lincoln that apparently brought John and his current wife, Lenore, together. After Lenore saw John’s Lincoln presentation at the town hall, she arranged to have him present it at the library. She was impressed by his knowledge and kind spirit, and he was drawn to her by her collection of religious artwork and the book she wrote on the Presbyterian Church. They got to know each other, married in 2007 and now share a wonderful and busy life together.
Though John has macular degeneration and some hearing loss, he keeps busy by keeping in touch with friends, reading (with the aid of a magnifier that projects onto a screen), responding to the continual requests to present his “Lincoln” piece and giving the occasional sermon. He and Lenore published a collection of his poems that he delivered at Christmas sermons over a period of 50 years, entitled “Christmas Poems.” He recites his poems with ease and joy, all from memory.
In April of 2012, John was honored by the Boston University School of Theology as their oldest living graduate. He also holds that title from Ohio Wesleyan College where he was an undergrad. But his biggest honor seems to be his legacy, as Lenore proudly notes. When John was recently ill, many people in the community, some she didn’t know, approached her to say what an inspiration John is to all. John has his own answer as to how he would like to be remembered: “I’d like to think I’ve helped people to know Jesus Christ as our friend and savior.” Of Lenore, John says, “I have the most wonderful wife you could ask for. She’s outstanding, very sensitive with high intellectual powers.”
John’s thoughts on why he has lived so long hearken back to his upbringing. “The good Lord gave my mother and father good genes that they passed on to me. We ate simple but very nourishing food like oatmeal, not rich cake.”
The New England Centenarian Study works with centenarians from all over the world to discover the secrets of aging well. If you know someone who may qualify for the study, call 1-888-333-6327, email stacy@bu.edu or visit www.bumc.bu.edu/centenarian.
http://www.csa.us/email/spirit/ssarticles/0113SeniorSpotlight.html