Jackson, WWII veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor, celebrates his 100th birthday

JACKSON, Mich. (WILX) — He is one of less than fifteen hundred Pearl Harbor survivors in the United States. A Jackson man has defied the odds time and time again.

Jackson’s Herbert Elfring defied those odds again by celebrating his 100th birthday.

“I feel overwhelmed – I had no idea turning 100 would create all this attention,” Elfring said as hundreds of people gathered to celebrate.

He was born on March 29, 1922, a period of prohibition and a time when the Model-T was still one of the most popular cars. These things have passed, but Elfring is still standing, or rather dancing. On Saturday, Elfring celebrated by drinking a malt milkshake from Walgreen, a drink he shares this milestone with.

Looking back on his remarkable 100 years, he remembers the good times and the bad.

“Those were the Depression years and nothing was easy, nothing was abundant, it seemed. And regardless, people made it through and we did,” Elfring said.

But he says it was those years that got him through World War II. Elfring served at Pearl Harbor, surviving the 1941 attacks.

After his time in the military, he studied electrical engineering at the University of Michigan. He then served the city of Jackson for 35 years at Consumers Energy,

He has had many accomplishments, but he says he is most proud of his family.

“I’ve been a very successful family man, and my wife and I are raising five kids,” Elfring said. “And the whole family seems to be getting along well, which is quite unusual from what I’m hearing.”

Close friend Annie Callahan of One Stop Veterans says it’s his charm that makes her smile and his focus on living life to the fullest.

“He knows life. He’s not going to waste his time doing something even if everything is going well – he has to have fun,” Callahan said.

Elfring says he’s learned a lot in his life, but here’s what he wanted to share.

“Always look ahead and don’t let problems get you down too much because it seems like if you focus on something you can succeed.”

Today, he enjoys spending time with his friends and family. However, if you can’t find him with them, you can probably find him with his dancing shoes. He says he has no plans to stop dancing anytime soon.

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