Not many people live to be 100 years old and fewer still live past that age. Silva Mudd Ludwig has beat these statistics by reaching the age of 105. On Saturday, October 12 approximately fifty members of her family gathered at the home of Floyd Mudd in Nobleton to celebrate this milestone with her. Relatives came from as far away as Illinois and Indiana, representing three generations.
Silva was born in Sadler, Kentucky on October 13, 1914. She was one of eight children – two girls and six boys – and is the only surviving member of her immediate family. Silva has also out-lived three husbands. An interesting fact is that she is distantly related to Dr. Samuel Mudd, the physician that operated on John Wilkes Booth’s leg after he assassinated Abraham Lincoln.
Silva displays a dry sense of humor, evident in many of her remarks.
When she was told that it was her 105th birthday, Silva said, “That’s stretching it.”
Silva once refused to ride in a horse-drawn carriage in St. Augustine because she said she had ridden on a buckboard so many times she would never sit behind a horse again.
When asked to what she attributes her longevity, she replied, “I wish somebody could tell me.”
Silva has never taken a pill in her life – just home remedies – and doesn’t believe in going to doctors. Her favorite food is fresh fruit and one of her secrets to long life is eating it for breakfast every day. She never smoked or drank and never had children of her own.
“Just don’t have kids to worry you. They worry you to death,” Silva remarks.
She lives with her sister-in-law, Wanda Mudd and Wanda’s son, Tommy. Silva enjoys watching TV, especially ‘Family Feud.’ Although confined to a wheelchair now, just two years ago she was swimming.
According to a study done in 2018, mortality rates plateau at age 105. If that is the case, then the odds are pretty good that come next October, Silva will be celebrating her 106th birthday.
