World War II vet celebrates 101 years

Posted

The Rothsteins’ home is sprinkled with antique decorations. Drawings of women line the living-room walls, an antique rocking chair sits in the corner, and abstract paintings with hues of reds and blues add color to the walls.

“My father painted those,” Laurie Kilchevsky said. “He loved to paint. That was one of his favorite hobbies. He loved to collect antiques too.”

World War II Army hero Meyer Rothstein sat outside in the shade to enjoy the warm summer weather. He celebrated his 101st birthday on Aug. 9 by doing his favorite activities with his favorite people.

“Today, he took a nice, long shower to relax,” his wife of seven decades, Dorothy, 91, said. “He really likes being in there for hours. He ate his favorite breakfast, and now we’re waiting for some family members to arrive. We’re keeping it really calm for him this year.”

“Did he watch a Western movie today, mom?” Kilchevsky said with a laugh. Rothstein rolled her eyes.

“I could probably recite every line to you,” she responded. “He watches those Western movies — you know, with the cowboys and guns — all the time. They’re his favorite.”

Chewy, Raquefette Chertok’s rescue dog from Israel, laid down on the living-room couch next to Meyer’s wheelchair. Chertok, the Rothsteins’ granddaughter, reminisced about her childhood with Meyer. “He used to take us to antique shops when we were little,” she said. “He loved antiques. I learned so much history just from going with him to different shops.”

Although Meyer celebrated his birthday quietly, his family chatted about his time in the war. “He used to tell us so many stories,” Chertok said. “Some were made up just to make it more exciting, but he used to tell us about his time at the Okinawa Island during World War II.”

“He loves garlic,” Dorothy chimed in. “He always told us the food over there was so bland. His favorite food to eat is bread, and that’s what he ate a lot of during the war. One of his army friends was a farmer — he said for some reason he was stuck with all the farmers — he gave him some wild garlic to add to the bread. He still loves it to this day.”

“I never knew about the garlic,” Kilchevsky said. “I know a lot of war stories, but nothing about the garlic. Even though my dad’s been around for 101 years now, I still learn new things every day.”

After sitting in their living room for nearly an hour, Meyer asked to sit on the patio to enjoy the summer sun. “It’s a beautiful day out for your birthday,” Dorothy said. Their aide, who declined to be identified, has been with the Rothstein family for four years. He wheeled Meyer to the patio.

“Working for the family is a blessing,” he said. “I hope to reach his age, but only if it’s exactly like he is right now. He’s not suffering; he’s not in any kind of pain. He’s just enjoying life, and if I do reach 101 years of life, I wish I can be just like Meyer.”

Although the family kept a low profile on Meyer’s birthday, they celebrated with a formal family gathering the following weekend. Relatives drove into town and sang happy birthday.

“It’s exciting and amazing that he’s reached this age,” Dorothy said. “It’s incredible, really. There are just no words. We’re just happy he’s healthy and he’s not sick or anything like that. He’s just old.” She laughed. She sat under the sun wearing sunglasses. “We’re all just happy to be together and spend time with each other.”