The average age of life expectancy is only going up thanks to the advancement of modern medicine; which is why we are seeing people live into their 80s, 90s, and even 100s.

But how old is South Dakota's oldest resident? And are they still alive today in 2021?

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According to both Mitchell Republic and Century Club records the oldest South Dakota resident was Beryl Kapun of Salem, SD who was 113 at the time of her death in November of 2012.

mitchellrepublic.com
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Beryl also broke a record as she spent four years as South Dakota's oldest resident before she passed.

"Beryl took great pride in her accomplishment of being the oldest living South Dakotan," said Golden Living Center Salem Administrator Joan Raap. "She had a great sense of humor and loved music"- Mitchell Republic.

Kapun was born on June 4, 1899, and lived on her own in her apartment until the age of 104, that's amazing!

So what did Kapun attribute to living such a long life? She stated that her family genes, clean living and never overeating at meals prolonged her lifespan.

But Kapun stated that she never thought she would live to be 113 due to two instances when she had some health scares.

"Once she had pleural pneumonia and fell into a deep sleep and her family thought she had died. The other time was when she had something she called "slow fever." She was sick for so long that the doctor gave up on going out to see her"-Mitchell Republic.

Either way, we are glad that Beryl Kapun was given as much time as she was and claimed the title of 'South Dakota's oldest resident' while she was still with us.

Source: Mitchell Republic

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