At 95, Mansfield's Al Wadley credits his longevity to hard work, hobbies and having fun

Mansfield's Al Wadley credits his longevity to loving life, working hard, having hobbies and doing what he wants to do.

Wadley said he doesn't let much get in his way. At 95, he stays busy but isn't climbing ladders anymore; he has a man who helps him now fix roofs and gutters.

A pilot, he quit flying his private plane in 2017 after his wife Barb died. They were married 63 years.

Wadley, who celebrated his birthday Thursday, was treated to his favorite elderberry pie, which one of his two sons, Steve Wadley of Mansfield, purchased from Planktown Market. Wadley's other children are son David and daughter Mary.

"I got my tags yesterday in Ashland (at the BMV) and the woman there said, 'Who brought you?'" Wadley said laughing. "I told her 'No one. I brought myself.' "

He recently drove himself to Columbus where he met his grandson to travel to Cincinnati for his niece's graduation from graduate school.

Wadley cooks some, drives his 1929 Model A Ford when the mood strikes him and flies to and from Florida where he enjoys staying part of the year. He flies every chance he gets.

Steve Wadley said his dad can still fix just about anything.

Albert Dean Wadley was born to Ellis and Mary Wadley in Millersburg but grew up in a log house at Bowman Street and Amoy East Road.

He graduated from Union High School, now Crestview High School, in 1947, one of 28 students in his class, and was known to be a pretty good basketball and track athlete his son Steve said, having heard stories from his uncle.

Al Wadley and friends once made a basketball from tied rags because they couldn't afford to buy one.

He loved driving school bus for 25 years at Madison Schools, worked for Tappan Stove Co. briefly before being drafted into the U.S. Army and returned to work there after the Army but didn't stay long.

"I was on a conveyor line making stoves. I decided I was going to quit," he added, noting he had other plans.

A member of the Mansfield Aviation Club, he got his private pilot's license at age 23. According to News Journal archives, Wadley used to ride his bicycle out to the old Mansfield Airport when the runway wasn't much more than a sod field. At 6 years of age, he would spend hours watching the planes land and take off and developed his love of flying there.

This week he said he had a few planes but loved flying his Cessna 182 back and forth to Florida. He bought it in 1961.

He proudly operated and sold tires from Al's and Ray's, a Shell gas station at Helen Avenue and Park Avenue East for about 10 years with Ray Brown after his Army service. He never left the United States during his time in the military but did basic training in Breckenridge, Kentucky.

Both he and Brown got married and they eventually sold the shop because, Wadley said, Brown's wife didn't like him working so many nights. Wadley met his wife, who lived in Ontario, when she came drove her Nash Ramble into the station to get gas.

He got the bug to buy and manage properties, businesses ― coin laundromats in particular ― and houses. The first laundromat he bought was beside the gas station. Later, he operated a laundromat on Ashland Road called Speed Queen Fabric Care Center. His late wife, who was a registered nurse who had graduated in 1953 from Mansfield General Hospital School of Nursing, joined him at the businesses doing the books.

Wadley still manages a few properties locally.

As a school bus driver, he loved to listen to the morning news on WMAN radio and he told students that, if they would allow him to hear the news, he would change the channel afterward to their favorite music station, CKLW.

Always working various jobs, he was pretty popular with students who rode his bus. They showered him with Christmas presents each year.

Al Wadley said he rarely slowed down, whether it be painting an old school bus for a church youth group or helping to build an outdoor arena at the Richland County Fairgrounds.

His memory is sharp and he uses an iPhone with ease, showing photographs of his airplanes over the years. He said he isn't a computer user, though.

He has a friend named Darlene he enjoys spending time with.

As for his 95th birthday, he was happy about the elderberry pie, saying his late wife was a talented cook and was known for her pies, especially pecan, rhubarb and elderberry.

"She crumbled the pecans," he said.

May marks Older Americans Month

The Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging Inc. will hold a Senior Spring Extravaganza May 16 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Richland County Fairgrounds, 750 N. Home Road.

This free event is held in recognition of Older Americans Month and offers guests entertainment, refreshments, resources, information regarding aging issues, and the opportunity to connect with others.

This year holds special significance as it commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging.

Registration is not required to attend. Doors open at 9 a.m.

lwhitmir@gannett.com

419-521-7223

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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: At 95, Mansfield's Al Wadley credits his longevity to hard work, hobbies and having fun