An Ohio woman who recently turned 106 years old says the secret to a long life is a good attitude – and fireball whiskey.
Florence ‘Fireball Flo’ Hackman celebrated her birthday on December 14 with family and friends at her home at Traditions of Deerfield, an assisted living facility located in Loveland, Ohio.
The centenarian looked ageless as she was wearing a lovely white sweater with black-and-white polka dot blouse and a radiant smile during her big bash.
Hackman was the life of her own party as she held up a shot of fireball whiskey as she started singing ‘Happy Birthday to me…’
Hackman, who was born in 1918, regularly exercises, plays the accordion, and enjoys going to happy hour with friends at the senior facility where she lives.
Speaking to DailyMail.com with her son, Rick Hackman, 70, she said the secret to longevity is more obvious than many would think.
‘Try to live a good life one day at a time. That is all you can do. Be nice to everybody and just don’t be a crabby old person unless you have health problems.’
Florence dressed up as Queen Elizabeth and looked glamorous for Halloween
A photo of Florence with her parents and her brothers and sisters
Florence also has an 82-year-old daughter, four grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.
The youngest of nine, all of her siblings have now passed away.
Before she became a resident at the assisted living facility, he shared that his mom was living independently and driving, but it was in 2019 when, aged 100, things changed for her.
‘She stumbled going up to the steps into the bank and broke her pelvis,’ he recalled.
‘It was very painful and she was in a lot of pain all the time.’
‘The doctor at the rehab facility told him ‘you’ll probably be lucky to have six months with her.’ That was six years ago!
‘So it just shows you the willpower that she has and the power of determination and positivity. She pushed through the rehab and walked out of the facility which we thought was just amazing.’
Throughout her lifetime, Florence has has been in very good health.
‘No cancer, no appendicitis, no gallstones – nothing,’ her son explained.
The only other time she was hospitalized was when she was hit by a car.
Florence smiles as she holds up a Christmas decoration
Flo with her son Rick and daughter-in-law watch the football game together
Florence ‘Fireball Flo’ Hackman holds up shot of Fireball whiskey to celebrate 106th birthday
She still has a healthy appetite, chowing down on a pot roast dinner for her birthday.
‘The woman has a third leg. She can eat anything. It’s amazing. She eats eggs and bacon in the morning. There’s a Cincinnati dish called Goetta that she just loves and she loves chili,’ Rick said.
Fireball is her favorite, he added, since it reminds her of the cinnamon candies Red Hots. But she also enjoys a glass of wine.
When she turned 105, two people from the parent company of Fireball, Sazerac, surprised her with 105 mini bottles of their whiskey.
Rick said he tries to visit his mother everyday. One of the things they enjoy together is watching football.
A big Cincinnati Bengals fan, she dons her number nine jersey as she roots for her favorite team.
Her positive outlook has helped keep her energetic and youthful.
He said his mother lives by the mantra ‘be positive…look on the bright side…be nice to people and just look for all the happiness you can in everyday.’
He added: ‘She’s had a wonderful life.’
Dailymail.com got the opportunity to speak with Flo as she was heading to a holiday party with her son.
‘It has been wonderful. I never ever in my whole life expected to be this famous or anything,’ she said.
‘I am just living a normal happy life especially somebody as old as I am – you go one day at a time and do the best you can – one foot forward at a time.’
