One of Last Remaining US WWI Vets Dies

At 109, oldest-known American veteran of 'Great War' never actually saw combat

By Kevin Langbaum, Newser User

Posted Dec 22, 2007 6:13 AM CST

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One of Last Remaining US WWI Vets Dies — J. Russell Coffey, one of three oldest living World War I veterans known in the U.S., rests while sitting in a wheelchair during an interview at Blakely Care Center in North Baltimore, Ohio, Friday, April 13, 2007. Coffey was the last WWI vet in the state, according to the Veterans Affairs Department.... (Associated Press)

The oldest-known American World War I veteran—one of only three remaining—has died at age 109, the Toledo Blade reports. J. Russell Coffey, who enlisted in the Army a month before the war ended, was never comfortable with that recognition because he never saw combat. He preferred to be remembered for his accomplishments as a student, an athlete and a longtime educator.

The former Bowling Green State University professor died yesterday of heart failure at a nursing home in Ohio. He drove a car until age 103 and credited physical activity and a healthy diet for his longevity. Frank Buckles, 106, of West Virginia, and Harry Richard Landis, 108, of Florida, are the two remaining US WWI veterans. (More World War I stories.)

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