JENKINS TWP. – Turning 100 years old is a lot of work. Well, the actual milestone isn’t work but, for Henry “Hank” Cordy, Jr., his social schedule has been pretty demanding.
Hank, originally from Avoca, has been living at Wesley Village since 2003 when he and his wife, Nance, became two of the original campus residents.
Nance passed away Dec. 27, 2010 after 58 years of marriage, but Hank has carried on with the help of fellow residents at Wesley Village, in particular, his good friend Emil Augustine. Emil said he and Hank have been friends for 35 years.
Hank celebrated with, not one, but three parties before his actual birthday on Feb . 4. When asked what he planned to do for his birthday, he jokingly said, “I’m going to hide.” Hank’s tentative plans were to have an intimate dinner with friends.
It’s fair to say Hank has a great sense of humor. When asked if he had a girlfriend, he said, with a smile on his face, “No, those days are gone but all the girls in the Village are after me.”
Hank is a World War II veteran where he served from the start of the war.
“I went in at the beginning of the war, leaving New York on the Queen Mary and I went overseas,” he said. “I started out in North Africa with the invasion of North Africa and went all the way through to the Battle of the Bulge in Germany. I got hit once in Germany and I got back to my unit before the end of the war.” He suffered a head injury.
After the war, Hank spent his career as a truck driver for the Medico family.
“I worked for the Medicos when they started out hauling coal with dump trucks. Their family house was on Tompkins Street,” he said. “I was there when they started out in business.”
Hank and Emil are seen together often as Emil’s wife passed away a few years ago. The two have been friends since they met as Irem Temple members.
“He’s a great guy,” Emil said of Hank. “I’ll drive here and there from time to time.”
Recently, Hank’s driver’s license was up for renewal and Emil helped Hank with securing his license.
“We went to Hanover Twp. to get his photo taken when they asked Hank if he wanted to renew for one, two or four years,” Emil said.
“I got four more years,” Hank said. “Let’s go!”
What’s Hank’s secret to a long life?
“Stay away from the women and have a nip and a nap,” he quipped. “I have a nap and a little nip every day.” Hank’s favorite choice of nip? Seagram’s VO.
“I feel pretty good with no issues,” Hank said. “I just stay quiet and don’t do much anymore.”
When asked what he will do for the next 100 years, he replied, “I haven’t decided yet; I’m working on it.”
