Longtime Berkeley resident Mila Mangold turned 114 years old Sunday, making her the 15th-oldest person in the world, according to available records.
Mangold is the oldest person in California and the fourth-oldest person in the United States, according to the Gerontology Research Group, a group of researchers who verify and track supercentenarians, or individuals who reach at least 110 years old.
Berkeleyside learned of Mangold and her incredible longevity through a neighbor in 2020, several months after she turned 112. She and her husband moved to Berkeley in the 1940s and raised their son on Magnolia Street. Mangold continues to be beloved on the block, although she now lives in an assisted living facility in El Cerrito.
On Sunday, beneath massive gold-colored balloons sent by her grandchildren to mark the occasion, residents and staff at RN3 Loving Care Homes sang “Happy Birthday” to Mangold.
Mangold’s son Donald told Berkeleyside his mother is doing “pretty well. A little tired but otherwise seems OK.” Donald and other family members were not able celebrate with Mangold in person due to ongoing restrictions related to COVID-19.
Neighbors remember Mangold walking briskly up the block to do her exercises and greet friends, they told Berkeleyside last year. For decades, her routine involved walking to Alta Bates Hospital, a half-mile away, to have lunch with friends in the cafeteria there.
Mangold has now survived two pandemics. Read more about her remarkable story in our in-depth profile from last year.
