The Good Shepherd Rehabilitation and Nursing Center was full of happiness and celebration on Thursday, with residents, family, and town officials coming together to celebrate the town’s oldest resident.
Martha A. Bradford, 102, was awarded the Boston Post Cane by the Select Board, as she is the oldest registered voter in Jaffrey.
“I knew about the cane, but I never expected to be awarded it,” said Bradford. “I’m happy that they gave it to me.”
The Boston Post Cane has been a tradition since 1909, when Edwin Grozier, publisher of the Boston Post, forwarded the canes to about 700 towns in New England.
Bradford may be in a nursing home, but that doesn’t stop her from living her life to the fullest. She enjoys painting, reading, writing letters, and following politics.
“I hope we get a good president,” said Bradford. “I’m voting for Hillary. She knows how to do it and it’s time for a woman to lead this country.”
Bradford’s daughter, Linda Borell, said her mother has always been a picture of perfect health, having lived without assistance until she turned 90.
“She has always been extremely active,” said Borell. “She has a get-up-and-go attitude toward life.”
Borell, a Jaffrey resident, said that her mother, a New Jersey native, came to live with her when her health began to decline.
Most notably, Bradford has had trouble with her hearing as of late. Throughout the celebration Thursday, she used a microphone with headphones attached to hear what people were saying.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @nhandyMLT.