KINGMAN – Frank Wakerther takes care of himself. He does chores around the house. He sometimes drives to California to visit his relatives. He doesn’t even wear glasses.

For most adults, it’s not a great achievement. Not bad for a man who turns 100 on April 29th.

Wakaser has only one wish. He wants a girlfriend to share his life with, though Wacaser really enjoys cooking.

He has been married twice and has outlived both of his wives. When he was about 80, he found his second wife on Match.com. Frank Wakerther never passed by in his life.

As his birthday approaches, he will be spending a lot of time with his friends.

A party is held at the trailer park where he lives.

Another celebration is planned with friends and family visiting for Kingman’s latest centenary coronation.

“My whole family will come to my birthday party,” he said.

And his church hosts a party in his honor the day after the big day.

Wakaser said he looks forward to many more happy years.

He graduated from high school in Capron, Illinois in 1941. His father was a principal and his mother a school teacher.

He was drafted into the Army Air Corps in 1943 at age 19. The war ended when he finished his P-51 training as a Mustang fighter pilot. In 1947 he discharged from the Air Corps.

The first time I saw Kingman was during my military service. He transported his surplus aircraft from Kingman Air Force Base (now Kingman Airport) to Garden City, Kansas for smelting.

In California, he met his wife, Elsie, a WAC secretary, and they married in 1945.

Flying became a big part of his life, and he trained many budding aviators as a flight instructor.

However, he has a diverse background.

He was a milkman in Massachusetts where his three daughters were born.

He flew pesticide sprayers in California’s Bryce area and Imperial Valley.

Wacaser and his wife were camp organizers at a campground in the mountains east of San Diego.

And they worked at a hardware store in El Centro, California. There, Frank was the manager and his wife worked in the office.

He also worked as a freelancer, installing furniture and decorations such as crucifixes, communion tables and benches in 4 new churches, 2 in El Centro, 2 in Kingman.

He came to Mojave County in 1966 to work at his brother-in-law’s only service station in Lake Havasu City.

He moved to Valle Vista, north of Kingman, in 2004 to live near his sister.

He has no regrets other than wanting a girlfriend. “I have a lot of nice friends here in Kingman,” he said.

A self-professed outdoor enthusiast and former hunter who loaded his own shotgun shells and rifle bullets, Wacaser attributes his longevity to “clean living.”

Exercise may also play a role. He works out at his gym, Dale Webb at Kingman Regional Medical Center.

And now retired and highly functioning, he can get behind the wheel of his new Ford Explorer and explore. Or visit his relatives. Or do whatever others do.

After all, he has genetics on his side.

His mother lived to be 102 years old and his younger brother, who lives in Flint, Michigan, is 92 years old. It is likely that his mother and son will be with us for some time.