The title of oldest Iowan has been passed. Born in 1893, Fairy Watkins attributed her long, healthy life to three things: eating fruits and vegetables, avoiding sweets and taking long walks. Watkins died Monday in an Oskaloosa nursing home at age 109, though she was fine living in her own apartment until just five years ago, at 104. She’d been married 64 years, had four children, ten grandkids, 19 great grandkids and even a batch of great-great-grandkids. The state Department of Elder Affairs says the oldest Iowan is now Lenore McCord, a 108-year-old who lives in Iowa Falls.
