At age 100, he’s had plenty of practice.

“Be good to others. Live for today, forget about yesterday and don’t worry about tomorrow,” says Winchell who celebrated his birthday on Tuesday with fellow residents at Fredonia Place, an assisted living community.

The gathering was one of several celebrations for Winchell this month. Earlier, the mayor of Fredonia issued a proclamation for Dewey Winchell Day and a hefty crowd of family and friends joined him at the Beaver Club for a party.

By his own accounts, Aug. 5 was his third birthday cake for the Fredonia native who credits his longevity to a diet of positive thoughts while exercising a right to serve others.

Dewey Winchell shows off his birthday card.

Winchell was raised on a vineyard in the town of Pomfret and attended the Sheridan 8 School (a two-room classroom) and is a 1942 graduate of Fredonia High School. He served in the U.S. Navy from September 1943 to May 1946 and was primarily stationed on the Aleutian Islands in Adak, Alaska. 

He returned home, married, and raised four children with his wife, Elizabeth. Two children remain in the area.

While he had several employers over the years, many locals remember Winchell from the 10 years he spent with the Fredonia Police Department from 1959 to 1970. He said his favorite job was working as a janitor at FHS where he worked until he was 80 years old. 

“My son was my boss,” he said.

Winchell moved into Fredonia Place Assisted Living Community in November of 2022 where he enjoys walking around the facility and frequently challenges fellow residents to racing down the hallways.

Winchell receives a hug on his birthday.

“Because of his previous career as a janitor, it comes as no surprise that his apartment is always in pristine condition even before the housekeeper pays him a visit,” said Jonelle Krauza, director of Sales and Marketing at Fredonia Place.

There’s something to be said for clean living as part of the recipe for aging well.