Still entertaining at 100 years old
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When John F. Baumgarten Sr. took the microphone at his 100th birthday celebration last month to sing a few songs and do his George Burns impression, it came as no surprise to the nearly 300 of his closest friends and relatives.
The Finleyville resident has entertained publicly on and off throughout his long life, from the time he was a teenager playing guitar in a country band performing at barn dances. In recent years, he has performed at the Mon Valley’s “Showboat” variety show for seniors. He can also be seen on YouTube singing “Goodbye to the Sweetheart of My Dreams,” a song he wrote and dedicated to his wife, Madeline, who died in 2009 after 72 years of marriage.
Mr. Baumgarten, who still lives in his own home, said he was so depressed after his wife’s death “that I was ready to jump off a bridge,” and then fate led him back to making music and enjoying life again. He’s a familiar sight in Finleyville, using a motorized scooter to get to his regular perch on a public bench dedicated in his honor in front of the township building.
Born on Aug. 28, 1916, and raised on a farm in Bethel Township before it became Bethel Park, Mr. Baumgarten is the only survivor of John J. and Margaret Baumgarten’s six children.
He made his living in the automotive trade, first as a mechanic and then as a district supervisor before retiring from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. in 1978. He’s been in good health but fractured a hip at age 99 when a lawn mower turned over on him.
“His mind’s still like that of a 50-year-old,” said Debbie Hurrell, the granddaughter who drives and assists him when needed.
He and everyone else had such a good time at his birthday party at the Finley Hall of St. Francis of Assisi Church, “everyone commented it was more like a wedding,” she said.
Mr. Baumgarten’s daughter, Madeline HartmanBaumgarten, also preceded him in death. He has a son, John F. Baumgarten Jr. of Mobile, Ala., seven grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and six great-greatgrandchildren.