New York City’s oldest resident has passed away at age 113 – but before she did, she had some lifestyle tips based on her own long life
New York City lost its oldest resident today – Louise Jean Signore, who lived to be 113 and credited her long life to “no husband, no children,” eating Italian food, and staying active(Image: WABC)
New York City’s oldest resident, Louise Jean Signore, has died at age 113, according to reports.
Signore is a NYC celebrity. Born in Harlem in 1912, she’s two years older than the Bronx becoming a borough. Signore was the oldest of her five siblings. She was born to Italian immigrant parents, lived through two world wars, worked for the MTA as an administrative assistant for 39 years, and became known for her candid advice to others looking to join the supercentenarian club, like her.
In an interview on her 112th birthday, Signore admitted that she credited her long life to “staying single,” “eating Italian food,” and “staying active.”
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Just a month ago, close friends said she was out “dancing” (or at least tapping her feet) in the Bronx’s Bartow Center, near her apartments. “She loved to dance and when she heard the music she began tapping her feet,” friend and neighbor, Frances Perkins, told The Post, who first reported Signore’s death.
“She used to go to hang out, play bingo and do line dancing,” the neighbor added. Although Signore has slowed down over the years, still requested the neighborhood trip to hear music.
Louise Jean Signore shown here at her 107th birthday party(Image: WABC)
Signore was a regularly sought-after personality by most major New York stations, and was quick to remind interviewers that a big part of why she aged so well is her no-alcohol and no-cigarette lifestyle, as well as her insistence on staying upbeat and “adventurous.”
However, she’s always made headlines for saying that she credits such a long life to “no marriage, no children.”
“That’s why I am living. That’s why I am OK because I didn’t get married… no marriage, no children. I’d rather be single,” she said last year. “When you are married you have a lot of trouble.”
Louise Jean Signore said she was out listening to music and ‘tapping’ her feet months after turning 113(Image: WABC)
In 2019, she partially credited her good health to the Italian food she was raised on. And she’s not wrong – medical experts have touted the Mediterranean diet for decades. “I was brought up with very good food. Italian food is very good for you,” Signore said.
“We had salad, fruit, and vegetables every single night. And we always had wine on the table,” she added. She also cautioned she rarely ate sweets, “We only had cake and soda on Sundays,” she explained.
Signore was known for her active lifestyle. As a younger woman, she enjoyed swimming on Orchard Beach in her home borough of the Bronx. She has explained that she “walked everywhere she could,” swam as often as possible, and didn’t let up when she retired. In fact, she went even harder.
After she retired from the MTA, Signore began playing bocce in the mornings, swimming and biking in the afternoon, and going line dancing in the evenings. “It’s my body. Nobody tells me what to do. I do what I think is best. It works,” Louise Signore revealed previously.
Even after she became unable to do sports, she would walk back and forth in the hallways to avoid staying still.
Signore has drummed up tons of friends and supporters, with a hundred people showing up to her past birthday parties. This year on her 113th, she was honored with a plaque in her building complex.
Living in the Bronx from the age of 12, Signore has seen plenty – and was even the victim of a home invasion at age 103. The culprit was a 53-year-old woman, and Signore quickly told media that she was lightly hurt, but “not phased.” She added that she forgave the mugger, and quickly went back to her usual routine.
When Signore’s mother retired and moved down to Florida, Louise joined her in the winter months, staying away from the cold and playing bocce.
The long-life genes are strong in the family, as Signore’s mother lived to be 97, her three brothers all passed away in their mid-90s, and her younger sister lived to 102 or 103, passing away around 2020 (reports are unsure).
Louise Jean Signore was born a few months after the Titanic sank, was a small child during WWI, a kid moving to the Bronx during the Great Depression, and witnessed her brothers go off to fight in WWII – and come back.
After witnessing the Cold War, 9/11, and even surviving a global pandemic, Signore has become a hero to many New Yorkers, with friends describing her as “feisty to the end.”
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