At 112, Mabel Dunbar says the secret is simple: family and faith.
Dunbar, who lives in Fayetteville, Georgia, celebrated her 112th birthday on Sept. 5 with a custom berry cake, flowers and a crown, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.
Born in Jamaica in 1914, Dunbar is the mother of one, grandmother of four and a great-grandmother.
“God is love and I love my families,” Dunbar said at her party. “I love all my families and strangers.”
Those who know her describe Dunbar as “deeply religious, pleasant and talkative,” according to FOX 5. The station reported that she spent her life serving others and remaining active.
Until recently, Dunbar still enjoyed cooking and made breakfast for herself every morning. She also enjoyed sharing stories with visitors.
After moving to Florida to live with her daughter in 1994, Dunbar relocated to Fayetteville in August 2025 to live with her granddaughter and grandson-in-law. FOX 5 reported that family remains an important part of her daily life.
“Treat them the best you can, because they are important,” Dunbar said of younger generations, specifically her grandchildren. “You need them when you can’t help yourself like me. These good people are on me all the time, and I’m happy to see them when they come.”
Research has linked religious involvement and social connection with longer life. In a 2016 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health examined religious service attendance and health outcomes among 74,534 women over 16 years.
They found that women who attended religious services more than once a week had a 33 percent lower risk of dying during the follow-up period than women who never attended religious services. Weekly attendance was associated with a 26 percent lower risk, while attendance less than once a week was associated with a 13 percent lower risk.
The researchers reported that regular attendees also tended to smoke less, experience fewer depressive symptoms and have stronger social support.
The world’s oldest documented living person is Ethel Caterham of England, who turned 117 in August. Caterham previously told The Associated Press that she credited her long life to “never arguing with anyone,” adding, “I listen, and I do what I like.”
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