Centenarian and WWII Veteran Shares Life Advice: 'You Can Do a Lot of Things You Don’t Think You Can'

At 100 years old, Ralph Young offers a powerful message on resilience, drawing from a century of personal and professional experience, including service in World War II and decades of international engineering work.

Young, who enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 18 in 1943, served during WWII and was discharged in 1946. His enlistment came ahead of a draft notice. “I remember my mom sitting on the front porch, tears streaming down her cheeks,” he told the Dayton Daily News. “She told me, ‘Everything is going to be alright, Ralph.’”

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Born and raised in Kentucky as the youngest of 11 children, Young grew up without electricity or running water. At age 10, he became responsible for cooking and laundry after his mother suffered a stroke. Despite the hardship, he reflected on the close bond formed with his mother during that time.

After the war, Young returned home and married Charlotte, his first wife, in 1947. The couple had three children. In the mid-1950s, Young accepted an engineering role abroad, relocating his family to Thailand and later Indonesia. His career took him across the globe, including assignments in Saudi Arabia and Iran, before retiring at 70.

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Charlotte was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2000 and passed away in 2006. At 81, Young questioned his future but chose to stay active, crediting his longevity to purpose and faith. “Always have something to do,” he said. “That’s what has helped me.”

He later reconnected and remarried Janice, a longtime acquaintance who had also recently lost her spouse. The pair grew close and eventually wed.